Donkey Kong Country: The Return
by Sonosublime
Summary: In the aftermath of previous adventures, the Kremlings have mysteriously disappeared. However, a diabolical plot to destroy the Kongs is already in motion, which will reignite an age-old war.
1. ACT I: Chapter 1: Diddy's Lament

**ACT I: Impending Disaster**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Diddy's Lament**

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day on DK Island. Diddy Kong ran through the jungle toward the ocean, chasing a blur of pink that was laughing somewhere up ahead.

"Where are you?" he called.

"What's the matter?" came Dixie's voice from out of the trees. "Can't keep up?"

It had been several months since K. Rool had attempted to destroy the island. Since then, there had been a few Kremling raids on DK Island. Almost always using the cover of darkness to rise from the ocean, the Kremlings tried to carry out mixed objectives. Some raids had been launched to try and steal Donkey Kong's banana hoard yet again. Other raids were aimed at kidnapping certain members of the Kong family.

However, the Kong clan had always been ready for them, and had trounced them time and time again. In the past month, there had not been even a single Kremling sighting, and the Kongs began to hope that they had finally given up.

However, DK decided to move his banana hoard from the cave under his tree-house in case the reptilian buccaneers showed up again. The bananas were now hidden in a cave under a cliff next to the ocean, and were checked on by the Kongs each day. In fact, it was where Diddy and Dixie were headed.

* * *

Diddy was glad to be out and about, doing something productive. Even after all the adventures that he had been on, and all the danger that he had faced, everyone still viewed DK as the big hero, and Diddy as his lowly sidekick.

_It's not fair,_ he thought._ Dixie and I rescued DK from Crocodile Isle, and yet we're not recognised as heroes._

Well, actually, there had been one who had recognised Diddy's feats, and even acknowledged him as a hero.

"I'm not afraid to admit it, Diddy m'boy," Cranky had said, after he and Dixie had returned from Crocodile Isle, victorious. "Even I'm wrong occasionally. You're as big a hero as they come. You must take after DK and I. Well done!"

The young monkey stared at the old ape in shock. Had he actually given him a compliment? "Uh, th-thanks," he managed to stammer out.

Cranky grunted and shuffled away, and Diddy never felt more proud of himself.

However, things had gone rapidly downhill from there. Everyone still saw DK as their "go-to guy", as Funky would put it, and never bothered to ask Diddy for help, even when he offered. The little monkey was feeling down, but he thought that he could at least go and see Cranky to be cheered up. But the old ape was as harsh and mean as he had ever been, and refused to acknowledge their previous encounter, during which he had called Diddy a true hero.

The end result of it all left him feeling rather depressed. He often went to bed early, and he tried to sleep as late as he could during the days, sleep being his only escape from the harshness of reality.

Dixie had noticed Diddy's increasingly anti-social behavior, and steadily became more worried about him. But as hard as she tried, she could not get a positive response from him. She felt frustrated, and the couple had been arguing quite a lot lately.

* * *

"Ah, great, it's a nice day for a little swim," came Dixie's voice, breaking Diddy out of his thoughts.

The two monkeys had arrived at the coastal cave and nimbly climbed down the cliff and into the water.

"You know, you would think that DK would want to hide his primary food source a bit closer to his house," she said sarcastically.

"You know how he is," Diddy replied. "He thinks that hiding the bananas here is a master-mind move. 'The Kremlings will never think to look here!'" he exclaimed in a mock-DK voice.

"Neither will anyone else," his girlfriend retorted. With that, she swam into the cave.

* * *

The pair made their way through the ocean cave to the chamber where the banana hoard was hidden.

"There they are," Diddy said with triumph as they entered a torch-lit chamber with a beautiful sight: a huge pile of bananas, all the way up to the ceiling.

Dixie grabbed a banana, sat down, and started peeling it. "Well, it's been two months, and the bananas are safe. Maybe now we can convince DK to stop being such a worry-wart about – "

She was interrupted by a great rumbling, and the entire cavern began to shake. They ran out of the chamber to witness a lava geyser erupting nearby. Several others followed, and soon, the entire cavern was covered in lava. The temperature skyrocketed.

Dixie tried not to tremble in fear as she instantly recalled the haunting memory of her involuntary journey through an active volcano. In a previous adventure, she and Diddy travelled to the foreboding Crocodile Isle to rescue DK when he had been kidnapped by K. Rool. The journey through the Crocodile Cauldron at the foot of the island nearly claimed Diddy's life and hers.

And now, she was confronted with the exact same situation. Her body froze in fear.

"Dixie! Come on! We have to move, now!"

Diddy's voice broke Dixie out of her reverie. She looked to see Diddy motioning her back toward the exit. He grabbed her hand, and together, they ran forward through the thick smoke that was beginning to fill the cavern. They had to be sure to stay clear of ground that started crumbling, as it was a sign that a lava geyser was about to erupt from beneath the surface.

"What the heck is going on?" Dixie screamed.

"I don't know, but we have to keep moving if we want to get out of here," Diddy yelled back.

They came back to a lake of water that they had passed on their way through the cave.

"Don't touch it," Diddy said as they ran around the lake. "The water will be boiling hot from all the geothermal activity now."

As they followed the water, the smoke and ash from the lava of the subterranean volcano began to clear, and the monkeys presently came back to the cave that they had entered the tunnel network from. Dixie fell back against a rock and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank god we got out of there," she panted.

"Dix, keep it down," Diddy whispered. He was peering over the rock toward the entrance of the cavern anxiously.

"What is it? What do you see?"

He looked back at her with a solemn expression on his face. "We've got a big problem."

Her heart pounding, Dixie surveyed the situation unfolding in front of her. In their absence, a ship had sailed into the ocean cavern and was now docked on the far bank. A skull and crossbones insignia emblazoned the main sail. The ship belonged to a crew of Kremling pirates.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

The original story that I began to write was radically different from this, but I have decided to alter it. However, the main concept will still be present.

I understand that it has been a long time since I updated this, and I apologise for that.

I would like to thank Black Mage Jr-KHwarrior and Princesspaula487 for their support of the original story.

And I would like to extend a special thank you to Captain Spock, for his excellent story (_Diddy's Kong Quest_) detailing the events of DKC2. I strongly encourage you to check it out.

His work has inspired me to continue this.


	2. Chapter 2: Pirate Panic

**Chapter 2: Pirate Panic**

* * *

Diddy and Dixie hid behind the rocks, watching the Kremlings disembark from the ship into the cavern. Some carried swords, while others carried muskets and other fearsome weapons.

Dixie slumped down in exhaustion. "I can't believe they're back," she sighed.

"I know," her companion murmured. "You'd think they would have learned by now." He turned to face her. "Well, we'd better go and warn the others."

"Are you kidding?" she challenged. "We need to find out what they're up to! What happens if we let them run amuck on the island? We're here now, and we can do something to stop them."

"Dix, have you seen how many there are? What happens if we're caught?"

"We've been in situations more dangerous than this before," she retorted. "We went to Crocodile Isle, remember? We were on enemy territory the entire time."

Diddy sat in a thoughtful silence.

"We'll follow them," Dixie continued. "We make sure we stay out of sight, and we find out what they're up to. Then we can warn the others, and we'll all be prepared."

After a few more moments, Diddy stood up and turned to survey the pirate ship again.

"It seems that most of the Kremlings have moved off toward a mine on the other side of the cave. There aren't too many sentries left on the ship, so if we stay out of sight, we might be able to sneak on board."

Dixie risked a smile. "I knew you'd come around."

* * *

As the last of the Kremling landing party left the ship, two monkeys were stealthily swimming to the stern. They nimbly climbed up the back, looking in through windows.

"The captain's cabin should be back here somewhere," Diddy whispered to Dixie, who nodded in agreement. "If we're going to find any information, that's the place to look."

The two spent quite a while clambering around the back of the ship, peering into windows until, at last, they were looking into a luxurious room with a huge desk of dark wood in the centre.

"That's got to be it," Dixie whispered. "Try the window."

Diddy tugged on the window, but it did not budge. "Damn, it's stuck," he hissed.

"We're going to have to try and find a way to the door."

"Dix, no, it's too dangerous – " Diddy began, but she was already climbing up to the deck of the ship. He cursed and followed her.

She clambered over the railing, landed stealthily on the deck of the ship and looked around. There were no Kremlings in sight. Diddy joined her, and then they were running across the deck, and disappearing into a doorway.

"Okay, we need to find a key to get into the captain's cabin," she said quietly.

"This is a huge ship, Dixie!" Diddy hissed. "We're never going to find the key. We need to get off this boat, now!"

Her eyes narrowed. "Diddy, how many times have you argued with my ideas? I thought you'd trust me by now."

"I do, but – "

"Shh!" She clamped her hand over Diddy's mouth and threw them around a corner as a Kremling walked past. After he disappeared down the hallway and around another corner, she shot a disapproving glance at him. "How did you not hear him coming? He has a peg-leg!"

He ignored her, and started following the Kremling.

"What are you doing?" Dixie said as loudly as she dared.

"If you're so obsessed with getting into that damn cabin, then I know how we can find the key."

The two monkeys followed the Kremling through the ship's cabins. Luckily, they did not run into any more Kremlings. After a few minutes, the pirate reached its destination: the galley. The reptile's eyes gleamed hungrily as they swept over the room, looking for something to eat.

Diddy rolled his eyes and snuck into the kitchen, creeping up on the Kremling. However, just as the mnokey was about to reach him, he turned and saw the intruder. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Kongs!" He yelled. "Kongs on the ship!"

Diddy leapt into action, jumping onto the pirate, but was thrown off into a corner. The Kremling's hand went down to his belt to draw his sword – only to discover that it was not there. He turned and saw that Dixie had swiped it from its scabbard during his struggle with Diddy, and was now pointing it at him.

"Not another sound," she whispered dangerously.

The Kremling put his hands up, whimpering pathetically. "P-please d-don't kill me..."

"Thanks Dixie," Diddy panted.

She smiled mischievously. "Now, what's this plan of yours?"

"Give me the sword and I'll take care of it. This guy called pretty loudly. Watch the door and make sure that none of his buddies are coming."

She pursed her lips and, after a moment, reluctantly threw the sword to Diddy and walked toward the doorway. He stared after her in confusion for a moment, but then turned his attention back to the job at hand, turning to address the Kremling.

"Why are you here?"

"I was hungry, so I thought that I'd get something to eat. The Kap'n never gives us enough food, you see, so I figured – "

"Not why are you here in the galley!" Diddy said in frustration. "Why are you here on DK Island?"

The Kremling looked around nervously.

Diddy pressed the tip of the sword to his throat. "Answer the question."

"I don't know! All the Kap'n told us was that we're sailing here to smash some monkeys! And somethin' about nabbin' and kidnapping and looting..."

"The captain... Do you mean Kaptain K. Rool?"

The Kremling shook his head frantically. "Nay! Kaptain Kraft!"

"Kaptain Kraft?" Diddy said in confusion. "I've never heard of this guy before."

"Hey!" Dixie hissed from the doorway. "Can you two wrap up your little chat already? I think I can hear someone coming!"

Diddy pressed the sword-tip harder against the Kremling's throat. "Where is the key to the captain's cabin?"

"It's hanging on a hook in the barracks. It's just down the hall from the Kaptain's room."

"Thank you, you've been a great help." Diddy lifted the sword, reversed it, and brought the hilt down onto the pirate's head, knocking him out. "Come on, Dix," he said, dropping the sword. "We've gotta get out of here."

"We can't leave _him_ there," she exclaimed, motioning to the Kremling's unconscious body. "Whoever's coming will sound the alarm!"

"Well, what can we do?"

She thought frantically for a moment, and then snapped her fingers. "Cover me. I've got an idea." With that, she leapt onto a counter and started pulling open cupboards. She began to pull bottles of rum out of one.

"What on earth, Dix? Do you really think _now _is an appropriate time?"

She ignored him, popped the cork off a bottle, and emptied its contents on the floor and all over the Kremling. She then scattered the bottles on the floor around him.

"Oh, good thinking," Diddy said, impressed.

Dixie grabbed him, pulled him into a cupboard and shut the doors, leaving a crack for them to peek out into the room. Moments later, two more Kremlings entered the galley, one of them much larger and musclier than the other.

"Oh, for Pete's sake," the smaller pirate said, seeing his comrade lying unconscious on the floor. "Just leave him. Tsk tsk, drinkin' on sentry duty. The Kap'n will deal with him later."

"But I thought I heard him shout that there were Kongs on-board," the other Kremling interjected.

"He's drunk, Kruncha! He prob'ly also saw a kangaroo as well."

"D'you we'll see a kangaroo someday?"

"Kangaroos are a myth!" The smaller Kremling turned and walked out of the galley.

"No they're not!" Kruncha said, offended. "I swear, I've seen one before..."

The two monkeys waited in the cupboard for a few minutes after the pirates had left before venturing out.

Diddy grabbed Dixie's hand and pulled her along. "Come on. At least we know where this key is now."

* * *

The monkeys snuck through the ship, fortunately not encountering any more Kremlings. They were able to find the barracks, the key and the captain's room without much trouble. Diddy unlocked the door, and then they stepped into the luxurious cabin, closing the door quietly behind them. A plush white rug was laid out in the centre of the room, and Diddy's feet sunk a little into the soft carpet.

He marched straight over to the desk and started opening drawers, while Dixie poked around the bookshelves in the corner of the room. Every drawer in the desk was empty, and Diddy sighed in frustration. Had they gone through this entire ordeal for nothing?

"Hey Diddy, listen to this," came Dixie's voice from the corner. "According to this book, the _Legend of Kangaroos_, they can be found on a strange island called Australia. But no one knows where this island is. Hm… what Kruncha wouldn't give for the captain to let him read this book, huh?"

Diddy chuckled, and then resumed his search. "Don't forget why we're here, Dix."

It was then that he saw it. The floor of the bottom drawer was coloured differently from the rest of drawer interior. He reached in and found that he could lift the board up, revealing a secret compartment that contained a very old-looking scroll.

"Dixie, come here. I've found something."

"What is it?"

Diddy studied the piece of parchment. "It's some sort of diagram. It's hard to make sense of... It depicts two islands side-by-side, balancing on a see-saw. And in the ocean below the right-most island are four circles... They look like weird capsules of some sort… Hm, this is strange..."

"What?" Dixie whispered.

"In the middle capsule, it says 'Sacrifice'."

* * *

Having left the scroll in the drawer and replacing the cover to make it look as though no one had been there, they left the cabin, snuck through the hallways and made their way off the ship and back down into the water. Their thoughts were troubled by that mysterious drawing, and were baffled as to what it meant.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Diddy said presently. "All of that trouble, and for what? Some cryptic picture that makes no sense at all!"

"Well, at least I came up with an idea," Dixie snapped. "You wanted to run back to the others with your tail between your legs and leave us completely clueless as to what the Kremlings are up to."

"Not quite," he said, looking across the cavern to the mine that the Kremling landing party had entered.

His compatriot followed his gaze, and instantly knew what he was thinking. "Let's go," she said, swimming toward the mine.

The pair crept up to the mine-shaft entrance, and then slowly ventured in. They found themselves amidst preparations for battle. Dozens of Kremling pirates rushed back and forth, sharpening swords and cleaning muskets. Staying out of sight, Diddy and Dixie crept around, scouting out the situation. They stopped when they saw a large, muscle-bound Kremling who seemed to be in charge. The leader was in the process of unpacking what appeared to be a large radio pack. They watched in wonder, and several minutes later, the radio was set up.

"Quiet, you maggots!" the large Kremling yelled. "I'm about to talk to the Kaptain!"

Silence fell as the other pirates looked at the radio with fear.

_The Captain,_ Diddy thought. _Kaptain Kraft?_

A strange, distorted voice issued from the speaker. "Report."

The large Kremling took hold of a microphone and spoke into it. "The activation of the Chamber was exactly as you had predicted. The seismic activity caused by it rising from the depths triggered the eruption of a subterranean volcano on the western end of DK Island. The cave was flooded with lava. We have made our base of operations here, and I can report with great confidence that your predictions on the locations of the subterranean volcanoes are correct."

"Then this means that the activation of the Second Chamber will indeed cause the eruption of a subterranean volcano below Vine Valley?" the distorted voice asked.

"Yes, Kaptain," the leader said into the radio.

"...Excellent."

Diddy and Dixie looked at each other in horror.

"They're going to destroy Vine Valley?" she said in shock. "Cranky lives there! And DK is there too, visiting him!"

The large Kremling leader continued to talk into the radio below. "My scouts tell me that the lumbering fool DK is in Vine Valley at the moment, visiting his washed-up old grandfather. How do you wish to proceed?"

The distorted voice was silent for a moment, before it spoke again. "We must keep the plan moving. Begin Phase 2 immediately. As for Donkey Kong, see to it that he never leaves that wretched valley."

"Yes, master..."


	3. Chapter 3: Chimp Caverns

**Chapter 3: Chimp Caverns**

* * *

Diddy and Dixie watched as the leader repacked the radio, and then turned to address the other Kremlings.

"Brothers," he spoke in a loud voice. "We have allowed these Kong scum free reign over this island for far too long. Now, it is our time. Our master has begun preparations to raise the Second Chamber. This in turn will cause more volcanic activity, in an area the Kongs call 'Vine Valley'."

"They're going to destroy Vine Valley!" Diddy whispered.

"Before the volcano erupts, the Kaptain has ordered for us to take care of DK."

Diddy and Dixie scrambled up a rope to a higher ledge for a better view.

"There is a Kong settlement in the area," the Kremling in charge below continued. "Looks like we get to have some fun. We go in, and do what we do best."

The Kremling pirates below grinned, showing their large teeth.

"They're going to attack the settlement!" Dixie whispered. "We've got to warn the others!"

Diddy reached the catwalk above him, but saw to his horror that a Kremling sentry was stationed up here. The Kremling immediately saw him.

"Kongssssssssssss!" he yelled. "They're here!"

"WHAT?" the Kremling leader roared. "GET THEM!"

Diddy responded by grabbing a nearby barrel and throwing it. It hit the pirate square in the chest, and the reptile screamed as he fell from the catwalk. Dixie climbed up the rope to join Diddy, and then together, they ran across the catwalk, shimmied up another rope and jumped up. On the next platform, two Kremlings were running at them, grinning stupidly, their scaly arms outstretched to grab them. Dixie rolled through one's legs while Diddy nimbly jumped onto the head of one of the Kremlings and launched upward to a higher catwalk.

"Yeowch!" the Kremling yelped. "For a little monkey, he sure is heavy!"

"Are you calling me fat?" Diddy exclaimed.

He was interrupted by the leader barking out more orders from below. "Riflemen! Fire when ready!"

Diddy looked down and nearly fainted when he saw two Kremlings on the ground level aiming rifles at him. The guns were old bolt-action rifles, and they looked quite rusty and ill-attended. However, flashes and smoke erupted from the barrels, and the whistling past his head let him know that the guns were still in working order!

"Dixie, look out!" he yelled down to her, hiding behind a supporting post.

The Kremling riflemen seemed to be only aiming for him. Diddy took cover from the bullets, and desperately looked around for anything that he could use to defend himself. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a flash of pink, and looked and saw Dixie running across the catwalk toward a lever. He realised that it controlled a pulley which was elevated above the Kremlings that were shooting at him.

The riflemen below fired again, but they must have been pretty lousy shots. Dixie reached the lever and released the pulley, which hurtled down toward the two Kremlings below. They yelled and leapt out of the way of the runaway pulley.

"Nice work, Dixie!" Diddy chirped, and the two continued to climb the mine-shaft.

"Where are you going, Kongs?" the loud voice from below rang out again.

They stopped for a moment and looked back down to see quite the mess of scrambling pirates on the bottom floor. In the middle of chaos stood the large Kremling leader, un-phased by the mayhem around him.

"You can run, little monkeys, but you can't hide!"

* * *

Diddy and Dixie kept running for a long time, even after they had lost the Kremlings. The mine-shaft brought them into a dark cave system that seemed to stretch forever in each direction.

"Come on, Dix," Diddy said. "They might still be after us. We need to find our way out of here, and warn DK and Cranky."

"Just a little rest," Dixie said. "We've been on the run ever since that volcano erupted on us."

"It's no good resting down here. We could starve, or suffocate, or be at the mercy of whatever is lurking down here."

She sighed wearily and climbed to her feet.

* * *

The two monkeys walked through the dark cavern in silence, stopping every now and then to listen for sounds of pursuit. Fortunately, there was nothing to be heard.

_Or that could be a bad thing,_ Diddy thought to himself. _Maybe it's a bit _too_ quiet. But then again, we _are_ in a cave below the surface._

They followed any path that seemed to head upward. However, sometimes the path would tilt back down again, or become too narrow for the Kongs to fit. In these cases, they had to turn back. After what seemed like an eternity of wandering through the dark tunnels, Dixie began to feel claustrophobic.

"Diddy, we've been wandering down here for ages. How are we going to find the exit?"

He squeezed her hand supportively. "Every path we've been taking leads upward. We're going to come to the surface eventually." However, although he did not admit it, he had been starting to have doubts too.

With renewed hope, the pair walked on through the darkness. Sure enough, they soon saw sunlight streaming through an opening ahead.

"The exit!" they both cried out in relief, and ran forward through the doorway. However, it was not the exit. Not quite.

Diddy and Dixie found themselves at the bottom of another mine shaft. Fortunately, it was not too deep. Sunlight was streaming in through the open pit. However, it was starting to get dark.

"We'd better climb up out of here before it gets too dark to see what we're doing," Dixie said urgently.

However, for the second time that day, she was interrupted by a rumbling of the earth.

"Oh, god," she said, terrified. "Another volcano isn't going to erupt here, is it?"

Before Diddy could answer, a crack appeared in the ground. However, instead of lava, a huge, disgusting worm-like creature emerged from the ground.

"What the hell is that thing?" Dixie screamed.

"No idea, but we've gotta get out of here now!" Diddy yelled. "Start climbing!"

The pair climbed frantically up the walls of the mine shaft, jumping across the wooden scaffolding in a desperate bid to get away from the huge tunnelling worm. Diddy looked back to see that the creature had at least six eyes. Four of them were focused on him while the others were eyeing Dixie down hungrily.

"Get away from us!" he yelled. "We're not dinner!"

Suddenly, he heard a cry of pain, and looked back to see that Dixie had tripped in her mad struggle to get away. The worm rapidly came up the shaft and opened its mouth to devour her, revealing several rows of razor-sharp teeth. Dixie covered her eyes, waiting for the end.

However, the giant worm suddenly flinched back and roared in pain. She opened her eyes and saw that it was being pelted in the eyes with rocks from above.

"Thanks Diddy!" she gasped, and continued climbing.

Diddy grabbed her hand and pulled her up to the higher ledge and they continued their climb. They reached the top of the mine shaft shortly and found themselves in the wooded region of Vine Valley. They quickly ran into the trees, escaping from the worm. As they ran, an ominous roar of anger echoed behind them...

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Well, another chapter done. I'm enjoying writing this story, so you can expect the next chapter pretty soon.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, so please write one and let me know what you think so far.


	4. Chapter 4: Vine Valley

**Chapter 4: Vine Valley**

* * *

Diddy and Dixie ran through the forest away from the mine as fast as they could, their hearts pounding in their chests. Eventually, they stopped by a stream and paused to take a drink.

"DK and I have explored a lot of caves in the past," Diddy panted, "and I've never seen anything like _that_ before. A giant worm? It's like the whole world's gone crazy."

Dixie used the running water in the stream to wash some of the dirt from the mine out of her long blonde ponytail. "If I had to guess, I'd say that it was disturbed by the subterranean volcano, and all the seismic activity that's going on."

Diddy nodded in agreement. "The Kremlings are playing a dangerous game."

As they rested, the sun sank below the horizon, and the forest steadily grew dark. The birds went silent, and the air grew colder.

Dixie shivered as she looked around the darkening forest. "Geez, this place sure looks a lot different in daylight. It looks positively creepy now."

"Well, you may not have heard the local stories," Diddy said. "But there are some abandoned huts and towns in the treetops around here. No one knows what happened to their inhabitants, but we generally try to avoid walking through the forests at night. People believe the valley is haunted." He stopped when he saw Dixie staring at him. "What?"

"You decide to tell me this NOW? How many times have we come on day trips to Vine Valley, and not once do you mention that the place is haunted!"

"Might be haunted!" Diddy interjected. "I mean, people claim that trees have fallen over behind them, and that inanimate objects seem to move around by themselves, but they're just rumours – "

"Stop!" Dixie cut him off with her hand. "No more ghost stories! I'm already going to have nightmares about that giant worm."

* * *

The pair of monkeys walked through the trees, staying alert in case a Kremling – or worse – was lying in wait for them in the dark forest. Dixie found herself looking around nervously whenever she heard the rustling of bushes in the undergrowth.

_They're just rumours,_ she told herself. _There aren't any ghosts here._

_ There were ghosts on Crocodile Isle in Gloomy Gulch. Why wouldn't there be ghosts haunting this place too?_

_ I've been coming to this valley for a long time. I've never seen Casper floating around._

_ How many ghosts do I know that strike during the day?_

"Hey, Diddy?" Dixie asked in a small voice. "How far is it to Cranky's house?"

"It's in the western half of the valley, just before the ocean inlet," Diddy replied. "Nothing to worry about, we'll be there in no tim – "

Both of the Kongs jumped in fright when they heard a loud _CRACK_ nearby, as though someone had stepped on a stick.

Diddy ushered Dixie behind him and took up a defensive pose, and faced the direction where the sound had come from. "Who's there?" he called into the darkness.

There was no answer. Only silence.

It was then that he realised what was so wrong. "Do you hear that?" he whispered to Dixie.

"What?" she whispered back. "I don't hear anything."

"Exactly," he replied, looking out into the trees. "Not even crickets. Absolutely nothing."

* * *

The Kongs continued in silence, keeping on their guard. Nothing else happened, but Dixie could not shake the feeling of dread she harboured in the pit of her stomach. After tonight's experiences, she would never be able to look at Vine Valley the same way again.

"Hey, look," Diddy whispered, pointing to a precipice that could be made out against the stars. "It's the entrance to another mine."

"Are you sure it's a good idea going in there?" Dixie asked. "It could be dangerous."

"No more dangerous than staying out here in the open. Even if this place isn't haunted, there are still Kremlings on the island. We're completely open to attack from all sides."

She saw sense in what he was saying. "Okay, let's go in."

* * *

The air in the mine-shaft was remarkably warmer than outside in the forest, and, surprisingly, it was not completely dark inside. The moonlight streaming in through the opening at the top high above reflected off crystals embedded in the walls, giving the cavern a beautiful aura.

Dixie looked around the mine-shaft in wonder. "This place is beautiful." She turned back to Diddy. "Maybe we should stay here for tonight. I would certainly rather doing that, instead of going back out into that creepy forest again."

Diddy shook his head. "We can't. The Kremlings are already making their move. We need to reach DK and Cranky before it's too late."

"Fine," she replied, knowing that he was right, but unhappy regardless. She looked up toward the opening high above them. "I guess we climb then."

* * *

The Kongs clambered up around the edges of the mine shaft, leaping gingerly onto wooden platforms that were scattered around on the walls. Many of the wooden planks were rotten or broken, making the trip rather perilous. Diddy and Dixie ignored all of the side tunnels branching off from the main shaft, and kept their eyes on the exit high above.

"I suppose it's lucky that there's natural light in here," Diddy remarked down to Dixie, who was climbing up a rope below him. "Doing this in the dark could be very dangerous."

She just grunted with the effort of climbing. The pair soon reached a wooden walkway spanning across the central chasm of the shaft. It was a long drop to the bottom here. Diddy gingerly inched his way across the walkway, going first to ensure that it was safe to cross. However, to his horror, a loud cracking sound echoed through the cavern, and the walkway gave way under his weight.

"Diddy!" Dixie screamed, as she tried to go forward to help him.

However, the entire walkway had snapped in half, and she was too far away to reach him. She could only watch in horror as Diddy fell away from the platform and plummeted to his death. Dixie could not watch. She covered her eyes with her hands and waited for the sickening crunch that would announce Diddy's meeting with the bottom of the mine-shaft.

However, no sound came signalling his untimely death. Dixie looked over the edge, peeking through her fingers, and saw a most unexpected sight.

"Squawks!" she gasped in relief.

A large green parrot rose up from below, clutching Diddy in one of his talons. The monkey grinned at her.

"Thank god you came," she gushed to the parrot.

"_Squawk!_ Think nothing of it," Squawks replied. "Although by the looks of it, it's lucky that I came when I did."

"You got that right," Diddy chimed in.

"Squawks, would you mind giving us a lift to the top of the mine-shaft?" Dixie asked.

"Not at all."

With that, he lifted her up with his other talon, and then flapped his wings, soaring upward. The trip was now much faster than the previous jumping across the wooden platforms that they had been doing before.

"I have some bad news to tell you two," Squawks said solemnly as he flew. "K. Rool is back. I spotted his pirate crew in Vine Valley a few hours ago."

"Damn, they're already here," Diddy cursed. He then looked up and addressed the parrot. "We already know. We're trying to warn DK and Cranky."

"And it doesn't seem to be K. Rool leading the Kremlings this time," Dixie interjected. "We questioned a Kremling earlier today, and he told us that he is taking orders from someone called Kaptain Kraft."

"Kraft? Never heard of that guy before," Squawks mused.

"Exactly what I said," Diddy replied.

Before long, Squawks flew through the opening in the mine, and the three were back outside in the dark forest again. He dropped Diddy and Dixie on the ground next to the hole.

"Ok, well since you two are already travelling to warn DK and Cranky, I'll fly ahead and warn all the other Kongs," he announced.

"Good idea," Diddy said. "Thanks for all your help."

* * *

After Squawks had flown away into the night, Diddy and Dixie set off into the forest again. The trees were as dark and menacing as ever, and Diddy tried to keep himself together. He had only been to Vine Valley at night once, but that was on the very edge.

After being dared to spend the night in the woods by DK, Diddy had wandered into the forest and set up camp. Although nothing had happened to him, he had still had trouble getting to sleep that night. He thought about the local stories, about how people who got lost in the woods were tortured by frightening images that drove them insane.

_Snap out of it,_ he told himself. _Be brave!_

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Dixie asked presently.

"I think so," Diddy said, looking back. "Squawks dropped us off back there... so I think..."

Suddenly, he stopped talking when he heard a menacing buzzing sound overhead.

"Oh, please no..."

"Zingers! Watch out!" Dixie screamed, as three huge spike-covered wasps descended from the sky to attack them.

Zingers were the Kongs' worst enemies. Following the deaths of Queen B. and King Zing in previous adventures, the Zinger society had erupted into a violent civil war, perhaps to determine their new Queen. They had not been seen for a long time, and so maybe their reappearance meant that the civil war was over.

These worrying thoughts flashed through Diddy's mind as he dodged to the side to avoid being stabbed through the chest by the main stinger of one of the Zingers. He managed to avoid the attack, but then felt the huge wasp's claws grab his shoulders. Dixie picked up a rock and threw it at another Zinger, hitting it in one of its huge eyes. It screeched in pain and flew away. She then ducked under another Zinger's attack and turned quickly, ready to fight it off again. However, no attack came. The Zingers had already flown off.

"What on earth?" Dixie said to herself.

She turned to see that she was all alone in the dark forest. To her horror, she suddenly realised what had happened.

"Diddy?" she screamed.

* * *

Diddy dangled upside down over the ground, his tail being grasped by the talons of one of the attacking Zingers. He did not know where it was taking him, but he did not want to wait around to find out. As the Zinger passed close to a tree, Diddy reached out and grabbed for a long thin branch. To his extreme fortune, it broke away from the trunk. He gripped the branch tightly, raised it up and then poked it hard into the Zinger's stomach above him. The giant wasp flinched in surprise, and dropped its prey.

The chimp hurtled toward the forest floor, but he nimbly grabbed onto a tree branch and swung into the leaves. The Zinger buzzed around outside angrily, searching for him. Fortunately, after a while, it gave up and flew away.

Diddy slowly climbed down to the forest floor. He suddenly realised that he was all alone in the woods. He looked back in the direction that he had come from and, after a moment of hesitation, set off back through the forest to try and find Dixie.

* * *

Dixie wandered fearfully through the woods. After being separated from Diddy, she had run forward, trying to catch up with the Zingers. But they quickly disappeared into the distance, and Dixie was left alone. She fervently hoped that Diddy was alright.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another loud _CRACK_ in the woods nearby. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked around nervously. However, it was no good as it was too dark for her to see further than a few feet ahead of her. She slowed her breathing and listened for any more sounds. However, there was nothing to be heard.

Dixie slowly started to walk, and after a while, she heard the sound again.

"Whoever's following me, come out and show yourself!" she called, trying to sound as intimidating as she could.

A fierce gust of wind blew past, catching her completely by surprise and nearly knocking her off her feet. However, the wind was gone as quickly as it came. Immediately after, Dixie thought she heard something else. It was quiet, barely audible, but very disturbing. The sound of laughter.

* * *

Diddy ran through the woods, calling Dixie's name. He had entered a particularly thick part of the forest, where the trees had grown very densely together, to the point that he could not even see the stars through the canopy above. He abruptly stopped running when he thought he heard something. Suddenly, he heard it again – the quiet sound of laughter.

Diddy looked around and saw it – a patch of moonlight visible in the trees. However, he could swear that he saw something else floating in mid-air inside the moonlight. He carefully wandered forward, trying to get a closer look.

As he approached the patch of moonlight, the thing that was floating in the air became more distinct. However, it made less and less sense.

"What the... It can't be..." Diddy breathed.

* * *

Dixie was done playing games, and was now running through the forest as fast as she could. She wanted to get out of this horrible place as soon as possible, and decided that she would make it as hard as she could for whatever was stalking her to keep up.

She ran hard and fast, her heart pounding in her chest. However, it was too dark for her to see the tree root in front of her, and she tripped, sprawling face-first into the dead leaves covering the forest floor.

"Damn it!" she gasped.

She looked up and her heart stopped. Was that someone standing ahead in the trees? It looked as though the figure was a monkey, facing away from her, with a scarf covering the back of its head.

It was eerie and creepy, yet it also seemed so familiar.

Dixie slowly climbed to her feet and crept forward, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure's face. As she came closer, the figure became more discernable. Suddenly, with a shock, Dixie realised who she was looking at.

"Mum!" she cried with joy, running forward.

Something in the back of Dixie's mind was telling her to turn and run the other way, that this figure could not be her mother. But she did not care; it had been so many years since her mother had mysteriously disappeared. Dixie and her sister Tiny had not seen her since.

She quickly reached the figure, grabbed its shoulder and tried to turn it to face her. However, the figure did not budge, so Dixie walked around to face it.

"I can't believe you're here – " she started to say, but stopped in shock.

As soon as she reached the figure's face, Dixie stopped seeing her mother, and saw the dead tree stump that she was really holding onto.

She gasped in shock, and then fell to her knees with her hands covering her eyes, sobbing.

* * *

"It can't be..." Diddy breathed.

He stopped in front of the shaft of moonlight and looked up at the figure floating in front of him. It was a monkey; a young girl dressed in a flowing white robe, staring down at him.

"It-it's... you?" Diddy said in disbelief. He then turned around, trying to convince himself otherwise. "No, I-I'm seeing things. It's just... a fear-induced hallucination... a trick of the light..."

However, when he looked back, his dead younger sister was still floating there, looking down at him.

"You didn't protect me," she suddenly said.

An intense pang of guilt touched Diddy's heart, causing him to look down in disbelief. He looked back up, but his sister was gone.

He sighed, and turned to walk away. However, his sister was standing right behind him, glaring down at him menacingly. Diddy cried out in fear and fell backward to the ground. He looked back up, but the figure was gone. Diddy looked all around, but could not see anything else past the shaft of moonlight. He slowly climbed to his feet and set off through the woods again, severely shocked by what he had just seen.

* * *

Dixie sat in a thoughtful silence against the tree stump that she had thought was her mother. She felt empty and hopeless inside, and wanted nothing more than to just go to sleep. Suddenly, she bolted upright when she thought she heard someone calling her name.

"Hello?" she called out.

"...Dixie..." the voice came again.

Dixie gasped in relief. "Diddy! I'm over here!"

She barrelled through the woods, and soon found Diddy, looking shaken, but very much alive. They both embraced each other.

"Thank god you're alright," she exclaimed, "I thought the Zingers carried you off!"

"They did, but I managed to get away," he replied.

"What's wrong? You look spooked."

He was silent for a moment. "I thought I saw something in the woods."

Dixie looked around nervously and then back at him. "What did you see?"

"...Nothing. I was just seeing things, it wasn't real."

She felt slightly offended that Diddy did not want to talk to her about it. But then again, she realised that she did not want to discuss what she had seen earlier either.

"Come on, let's get going," she said softly.

"We can't. I got so turned around and disorientated that I have no idea which way the ocean inlet is anymore."

Dixie looked up, and then suddenly ran ahead and started climbing up a tree.

"Where are you going?" Diddy asked in surprise.

"It's starting to get light," she called back. "If I climb to the top of the trees, I might be able to see where we are!"

Diddy looked to the sky and saw that the night sky was beginning to brighten with the coming light of dawn.

_We made it,_ he thought in relief.

A strange whistling sound echoed from the trees ahead, causing him to duck instinctively. He looked back and saw the top branches sliced off several bushes behind him.

"What the – "

He heard more whistling ahead, and quickly rolled behind a fallen tree as several more shurikens sliced into the rotting bark.

"Dixie, come back! I'm being attacked!" Diddy called out. He ducked to avoid another shuriken thrown at him. It whistled ominously as it flew past, embedding itself in a tree behind him. "Whoever's out there, show yourself, you coward!" he challenged.

A shadowy figure stepped silently out of the trees ahead. As Diddy looked closer, he realised that it was a small monkey, wearing a black face mask. Through the eye slits, he could see right into the eyes of his attacker, and saw a terrifying resolve.

The ninja drew a thin katana, as Diddy slowly bent down to pick up a stone from the forest floor. Without warning, the ninja leapt forward, sword held in front like a spear. Diddy dodged the first strike, and then turned and hurled the rock in his hand at the attacker. The ninja landed deftly on its feet, turned and expertly blocked the rock with its katana with a single fluid motion. The sword _clanged_ loudly as it deflected the rock harmlessly into the bushes.

The ninja lunged again. This time, Diddy was unable to move out of the way, and felt the weight of the other monkey's feet punching into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped in surprise, and collapsed backward, with his attacker still on top of him.

"Wait! Please don't hurt him!" came Dixie's voice from somewhere above him.

The ninja held the tip of the sword to Diddy's throat. "Not another move. Who are you, and why have you come here?"

With mild surprise, Diddy realised that it was a female. He struggled to free himself from under her weight, but she pricked him with the tip of her sword.

"Ow!" he cried out.

"I asked you both a question. Why have you invaded my home?"

"We didn't come here to invade your home," he exclaimed. "We came here to stop the Kremlings!"

"The Kremlings?"

"They're a group of crocodile pirates, and they're up to no good," Dixie interjected.

"Those reptilian pirates?" the ninja mused. "Yes, I have seen them wandering through here, causing damage to the trees and local ecosystem."

"They're up to more than that," Diddy said. "The whole island is at risk!"

"Hmph," the other monkey replied. "Tell me why I should believe you."

"You can believe us or not, but take one look at those Kremlings and you'll know that they're up to something. It's in their nature."

The ninja paused as she considered this.

"We didn't mean to intrude on your home," Dixie said softly. "We're just trying to get through the woods to our friends' house. They're in trouble, and they need our help."

After a moment, the ninja lowered her sword. "I feel as though you are telling the truth."

Diddy slowly climbed to his feet. "We _are_ telling the truth. We don't mean you any harm. My name is Diddy." He motioned to his girlfriend. "This is Dixie."

"I am Nadhi of Nanji Clan," the stranger replied, sheathing her sword.

"The Nanji Clan?" Dixie asked, confused. "How come we've never seen you before?"

"We only came here recently, after our island was destroyed by a volcano about a month ago."

"A volcano?" Diddy exclaimed. "That must have been the Kremlings' doing! They're trying to do the same thing to our island!"

"Hm, this is interesting. I must consult the elders."

"Wait!" Diddy yelled, but Nadhi had already disappeared into the trees.

"Well, that was random," Dixie remarked.

"Yeah, and we're still lost," Diddy muttered. He turned to face her, but she wasn't there. "Dix? Where are you?"

"Up here!" she called from the tree-tops. "We're not so lost anymore! The sun's starting to rise, so now I can see across the valley."

"Can you see the ocean inlet from here?"

She climbed down from the tree and led the way into the trees. "Where would you be without me? Yes, I saw it. It's this way."

* * *

The pair of chimps raced through the forest in the direction that Dixie had seen the inlet. The sun began to rise, bathing the valley in a soft, warm light. The creepy atmosphere that had hung over the forest during nightfall disappeared.

Eventually, the Kongs found themselves surrounded by bramble plants; thick vines with long, sharp thorns protruding from them. As they climbed through the bramble forest, the morning sun gradually rose. Sunlight permeated through the bramble vines, creating a wonderful light effect. Dixie was glad that the night was over. Their experience in the woods had been quite horrible, and she resolved to never come back to the valley. At least not at night.

"This place is beautiful," she remarked to Diddy.

He felt scratching along his arm from the plants. "Ow! Yeah, more like a pain in the butt."

Dixie smirked, and then frowned. "While the brambles and thorns are really annoying, this place is just so soothing and relaxing. I – YEOWCH!" she shrieked when a particularly large thorn pierced in her thumb. "Stupid plants!"

Her compatriot chuckled.

"Oh, shut up," she said, annoyed. "Just shut – " But once again, she was interrupted by the ground shaking and rumbling. "Oh, come on!" she exclaimed.

"Dixie, the Kremlings must have activated their Chamber thing a while ago, and now the seismic activity has reached the island! The subterranean volcano beneath Vine Valley is starting to erupt!"

"We need to get to DK and Cranky! How much further is the house?"

"Just another kilometre or so! Let's climb!"

The pair said nothing to each other for a while, instead focusing on moving as fast as they could. Soon, they left the bramble forest behind them and were running through the woods again. The ground continued to shake, sometimes giving off a violent jolt every now and then.

"There is it!" Diddy yelled, pointing ahead.

Dixie looked and saw Cranky's run-down old cabin a couple of hundred metres ahead. Behind it was a stunning view of the ocean inlet that wound its way through the valley.

_But all of this will be disappearing in a matter of minutes,_ Dixie thought in despair. _Along with the rest of the island if we don't do something. We _must_ stop the Kremling's plan! Whatever it is that they're up to!_

Suddenly, she spotted something in the inlet. It was far away and rather faint, but Dixie could still discern the features of a pirate galleon. The same galleon that had anchored in the ocean cave of the Chimp Caverns yesterday.

"Diddy, look!" she yelled, pointing at the ship sailing in the ocean inlet.

"Damn! That pirate ship is fast!" came his response.

"It looks like they're sailing away toward the ocean!"

"I have a hunch why! The shaking of the ground is really violent here!" he shouted. "This area must be the epicentre of the earthquake! Maybe the volcano will pop out right here!"

Dixie shivered at the thought. "I sure hope not!"

The two monkeys finally reached Cranky's cabin a few minutes later, but they immediately saw that they were too late. The interior of the cabin was trashed, and piles of invaluable Nintendo memorabilia that Cranky had been hoarding were all lying on the ground inside and outside the cabin, smashed to bits.

"The Kremlings beat us here!" Dixie gasped in horror.

Diddy said nothing, just staring at the wreckage. Without warning, he kicked something (Dixie did not see what it was), sending it flying into the bushes, screaming in frustration and anger.

"Diddy!" Dixie cried in shock. She had not seen this side of him before, and did not like it one bit. It scared her.

"We lost!" he shouted, pacing furiously. "They beat us here! They've killed DK and Cranky!"

"Diddy, calm down. L-Look at me," she stammered. "There are no bodies here. I'm sure they're still alive. Maybe they've been captured. Maybe we can still catch up to them!"

He stopped pacing, and slowly looked at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but the ground gave a great heave, and a lava geyser erupted less than a kilometre away. Several more lava geysers erupted all over the place, and magma began to pour out of the ground, igniting the forest in a furious blaze.

Without a word, Dixie grabbed Diddy's arm and pulled him away from Cranky's cabin, running toward trees that had not yet caught fire.

"Where are you going?" he cried.

"We need to get down to the lagoon," she replied with grim determination, without slowing down. "After that, we're going after the pirate ship."


	5. Chapter 5: Into the Inferno

**Chapter 5: Into the Inferno**

* * *

Diddy and Dixie ran. The pair ran through the forest fire caused by the erupting volcano in the direction that they believed to lead to the ocean inlet. They covered their mouths with their arms and tried their best to ignore the ash and dust floating in the air.

Very shortly after they had left Cranky's cabin, they came across a major obstacle – a large fissure had opened up in the ground. Looking over the edge, they could see a long drop into a deep river of mud at the bottom. Due to the geothermal activity, the mud was bubbling, boiling, steaming, and obviously lethally hot to touch.

"What do we do now?" Diddy asked. "This crack is too wide for us to jump across."

Dixie looked around, but it seemed that the fissure did not seem to get any narrower further along. However, there were still some trees dotting the landscape which had not caught fire yet. It gave her an idea. With somewhat reduced agility on account of her exhaustion, she climbed up a tree and started kicking at the base of a rather thick branch. Diddy looked up at her in puzzled silence, but did not say anything so as to break her concentration. He had learned that once she had an idea, she had a stubborn will to see it through.

Dixie kicked repeatedly at the branch. Fortunately, all the moisture in the air was long gone, and the trees in the area were now extremely dry. This made the branch stiff and brittle, and surely enough, after several more kicks, it broke away from the tree.

Diddy was still puzzled. "Dix, that branch is still too short. We – " He stopped, coughing and wheezing dryly. "We can't use it to make a bridge."

"Help me find a big rock..." Dixie's voice sounded hoarse and croaky. Her throat was feeling very dry and painful from the vile air that she was breathing.

Diddy scoured around the area, and eventually found a rock large and heavy enough for his girlfriend's approval. Together, they rolled the rock toward the edge of the fissure. He looked back, and realised fearfully that the fire was catching up to them. It was less than fifty metres away from the fissure, and sweeping across the land with frightening speed.

"Uh, Dix? We're going to have to be quick..."

Dixie grabbed the branch and positioned it carefully so that its end was still on the land, while the rest of the branch was suspended in mid-air, out over the chasm. It reached to just over halfway across the crack in the earth.

"Now, move the rock so that it weighs down the end of the branch," she instructed Diddy.

He was beginning to see her plan come together. "Like a springboard, huh? Very resourceful... You're more than just a pretty face."

She started to laugh, but then started hacking and coughing. "Don't make me laugh. It's too painful..."

Diddy carefully manoeuvred the rock onto the end of the branch that was still on the land. He looked back, and saw that the forest fire was about to reach them. His companion was about to step on the branch, but hesitated. He saw this.

"Let me go first. This branch is pretty brittle. I need to test whether it's okay to use."

Dixie was about to argue, but he had already stepped out onto the branch. He walked gingerly across it toward the end suspended in mid-air. The boiling mud bubbled menacingly below.

_Don't look down,_ he told himself.

"Come on Diddy. You have to hurry up," came Dixie's voice from behind him.

_I'm going as fast as I can, considering I'm perched on a brittle tree branch, suspended over certain painful death by boiling mud! _he thought to himself.

Thankfully, despite the lack of moisture in the branch, it was still quite sturdy. Diddy reached the end, and looked back at Dixie for a moment. Then, without a word, he set his eyes on the far edge of the fissure and jumped.

After what felt like an eternity, he barely made it to the other side, and felt like he was about to jump out of his skin. But he made it! He was _alive!_

"You're a genius, Dixie!" he called across the chasm. "Your turn."

She stepped out onto the branch, held in place by the large rock. As she was making her way to the jumping point, Diddy saw to his horror that the forest fire on the other side of the chasm was about to engulf the tree branch.

"Dixie, you have to jump now!" he yelled.

She looked back to see what was happening, just as the landward end of the tree branch caught on fire. The rest of the dry branch lit up like a piece of dry tinder. Dixie looked wildly back at Diddy and jumped – just as the burning branch crumbled and fell toward the boiling mud below. She screamed.

To his horror, Diddy realised that she was not going to make it to his side. The next few seconds seemed to slow down. With all of his remaining strength, he threw himself forward to the edge of the fissure, extending his arm out to Dixie. She saw his hand and grabbed at it desperately. They managed to grab hold of each other's hand, and held on for dear life.

"Don't let go, Dix!" Diddy grunted. "I've got you."

"I... wasn't... planning on it..." she gasped.

"I can't pull you up by myself," Diddy panted. "You're going to have to use your feet to try and climb up."

Dixie planted her feet against the wall of the fissure, and nearly cried out in pain. Her feet were burning against the boiling hot rock. Gritting his teeth in determination, and with great effort, Diddy pulled her up and out of the chasm.

They lay there in exhaustion for a few moments, then warily climbed to their feet and faced each other. There were tears in Dixie's emerald green eyes. To Diddy's shock, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face. Although the slap did not hurt him physically, on account of Dixie's exhaustion at that point, it still hurt a lot on the inside.

"That's for taking your time getting across the branch," she whispered. "Your dawdling almost got me killed."

Diddy opened his mouth to angrily retort when, to his surprise, she embraced him, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"That's for saving my life."

Diddy felt true happiness for the first time in a long time. He wondered how he could be so lucky to have Dixie. She was the kindest, smartest, most resourceful, and prettiest person that he had met.

_I promise you, Dixie, we're going to find a way out of this horrible place. We're going to stop the Kremlings from destroying our home._

The monkeys presently let go of each other.

"We're still not safe here," Diddy said observantly. "The wind could carry the fire across the gap."

They looked back across the fissure to see the fire that had almost consumed them burning furiously on the other side. They turned and faced the direction that they hoped would lead them to the ocean inlet. Countless fires and more lava geysers could be seen ahead.

* * *

As the magma continued to pour out from beneath the surface, the smoke and ash in the air grew thicker. The Kongs' feet felt burned with each step they took, and their pace slowed considerably, until they were practically crawling. It gradually became harder and harder to breathe.

"The fire is consuming the oxygen in the air..." Dixie panted, before she burst into a fit of hoarse coughing. She felt her vision going blurry from all the dust, ash and smoke in the air.

Diddy coughed and heaved as well, and his throat felt dry and painful from the toxic air. When they finally recovered from their fits of coughing, they looked up to see that they were no longer standing in a forest. All they could see in every direction was fire.

* * *

Diddy was starting to feel desperate. He and Dixie had been walking for quite some time in the direction that they hoped would bring them to the sea. They had convinced each other that the inlet was close, and that they would be able to make it if they just kept walking. With renewed hope, they had both set off into the blaze.

But Diddy was steadily losing hope that they were going to make it.

They were surrounded on all sides now by fire and lava pits, as well as hissing geysers of foul-smelling sulphur. The close proximity to the lava burned the Kongs' fur as they walked by, but they were too tired to try and run. The light of the sun was obscured by the smoke in the air, but the lava gave off a sinister red glow to make up for this. The end effect was a murky, apocalyptic landscape. A place for sinners.

Dixie suddenly burst into yet another fit of coughing, but this time, there was a small amount of blood in her hand when she drew it away from her mouth.

"Dixie, are you okay?" Diddy asked, worried. "I – " Whatever he was about to say was cut off as he too coughed, so violently that it brought him down to one knee.

"We're not going to make it, are we?" Dixie asked in a hopeless voice.

Diddy contemplated lying down to rest for just a minute. A little bit of rest, and they would be able to recover some strength to keep going.

_ Fool. This is the worst place I could pick for a rest._

_Dixie and I need to sit down for a minute. We have been on the go without sleep for nearly two days now._

_ If we lie down here, we'll never get up again._

_ I can't go on._

_ I'm not resting. I'm giving up._

_ Maybe I am. What is the point? It's hopeless._

_ Hope is the only thing that keeps us going._

Diddy lifted his head, and saw a sight that nearly made him weep with joy.

"Dix, look! I can see the water! We're nearly there!"

* * *

Diddy and Dixie walked out of the blazing fires and found themselves on the shore of the ocean inlet. Looking back, they saw that the once-beautiful, albeit creepy, Vine Valley was now a wasteland of fire, lava and smoke. Dixie felt a tear trickling down her cheek, and cursed the Kremlings for all they had done.

They found a stream trickling down into the inlet, which was thankfully not boiling hot. They drank thirstily from it, quenching their parched and tortured throats. The water tasted better than anything they could remember. Once they had drunk their fill, they soothed their burned and painful arms and feet in the stream.

"Diddy! Dixie! There you are! Thank goodness you're okay!" came a voice from above them.

They both looked up. "Squawks!"

The large green parrot flapped down from the sky and landed next to them. "I have been searching all over for you two!"

"Why?" Diddy asked. "I thought that you'd gone ahead to warn all the others about the Kremlings."

"Well, after I left you both, I flew for quite a ways. I was just leaving the valley when I saw something terrible: a volcano had erupted in Vine Valley, very close to where I dropped you off last night. I was worried, so I came back to see if you both were okay."

"We really appreciate your concern," Diddy said, touched.

"The volcano didn't erupt naturally," Dixie said angrily. "The Kremlings did something that caused it to erupt. They torched Vine Valley!"

"Come," the large parrot said, after a moment of silence. "Let me get you both out of here."

"No, we need to do something first," Dixie said immediately. "You saw the pirate ship sailing out of the inlet, right?"

"Yes?" Squawks said cautiously.

"We need you to take us to it."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" the parrot asked nervously.

"We need to get onboard. DK and Cranky have been captured – "

"_Might _have been captured," Diddy interjected sourly.

Dixie glared at him. "Well, _sorry_ for maintaining hope. Anyway, if they _are_ on the ship, we need to catch up to it now. Before something terrible happens to them."

Squawks considered this for a moment. He then grabbed them in his talons and flew away from the shore. "Hold on tight!" he called. "It's going to be a rough ride!"

* * *

Squawks flew toward the ship in the distance, steadily getting closer and closer. From their height, Dixie was able to look back over Vine Valley and see the extent of the damage that had been done. To her surprise and joy, she saw that it was a relatively small volcano that had erupted. Only a small part of the forested region had been laid to waste. The rest of the valley appeared to be quite safe from the blaze.

"Diddy, look!" she shouted, pointing.

Diddy nodded, looked over and gave her an encouraging smile.

"Okay!" Squawks called from overhead. "I'm going in!"

It was then that Diddy realised that they had caught up with the pirate ship. "Okay Squawks, just fly slowly and casually so they don't notice us – ahh!"

Squawks swerved out of the way of an oncoming cannonball fired at them from the ship. Several more flashes and booms sounded as the cannons on the ship fired again.

"Squawks, take evasive action!" Dixie screamed.

The parrot swerved, ducked and weaved through several more cannonballs. They were very near to the ship deck now.

"Get ready, you two!" he shouted. "We're comin' in hot!" With that, he released them from his claws and they fell, tumbling onto the hard wooden deck of the pirate ship.

"There they are!" a voice shouted. "Get 'em!"

Diddy and Dixie ran for their lives from the bloodthirsty pirates chasing after them.

"We really didn't think this plan through, did we?" Diddy shouted.

"I guess I was hoping that most of the pirates were still on DK Island!" Dixie yelled back.

They reached the bow of the ship, but stopped dead when they found themselves staring down the barrels of three hand-held cannons, wielded by three huge Kremlings.

"Not another step, monkeys, or we'll blast ye to Davy Jones' Locker!"

More Kremlings surrounded them, holding various swords, rapiers and cutlasses.

"What now?" Dixie whispered.

"Don't touch them," a large booming voice sounded from behind them. "They're mine."

Diddy and Dixie turned to see the big Kremling leader, who nearly had them killed back in the mine, walk forward.

"You two shouldn't have come 'ere. What were you hoping to achieve?"

"You lousy lizard!" Diddy said angrily. "Where are DK and Cranky?"

"Arr, they will be presented to the Kaptain as spoils of war! Once he's through with them, they'll be begging for death!" The Kremling leader laughed, and the other pirates joined in.

"Who are you?" Dixie asked timidly. "Do you work for Kaptain Kraft?"

"Har har har!" the leader boomed. "No, I do not. As for whom I am..." He drew two large boomerang-shaped swords. "I am your worst nightmare."

The Kremlings cheered as their leader charged at the Kongs.

"Split!" Dixie yelled, and they both dove out of the way in opposite directions. The Kongs threw themselves out of the way just in the nick of time, as one of the Kremling's swords slashed through the air where they had been standing only moments ago.

"Arr, we have a couple of fighters here!" he exclaimed. He turned to face Dixie and pointed one of his swords at her, making her shudder. "You, lass, will die first!"

However, instead of attacking her immediately, he turned toward Diddy and, much to the Kongs' shock, threw one of his swords at him! The sword flew through the air, twirling and slicing, as the audience of Kremling pirates cheered in anticipation. However, they groaned in disappointment when Diddy threw himself to the deck of the ship to avoid the deadly projectile. But he looked back and saw the blade turn, arcing through the air to come back at him!

"What the..."

"Diddy! Look out!" Dixie called worriedly. Suddenly, she spied movement out of the corner of her eye. Her terror became extreme when she saw the Kremling leader lumbering toward her, grinning cruelly and brandishing his other blade.

"You should worry less about your boyfriend and more about yourself, lass!"

The huge pirate reached her and swung his sword in a horizontal slash, trying to take her head off. However, she jumped backward out of the way. The Kremling roared in frustration and swung again, Dixie barely able to dodge out of harm's way. The spectators cheered, watching the violent spectacle.

Diddy ran as fast as he could from the other blade spinning through the air, but it was quickly gaining on him. Just as it was about to slice him open, Diddy reached the edge of the ring that the Kremling pirates had formed around the fight. They grinned and showed off their weapons, warning him against coming any closer. Diddy glanced behind him and saw the blade flying at him through the air.

Certain death or certain death. Some choice.

Throwing caution to the wind, and without slowing down, he leapt into the air and bounced up off the head of one of the pirates standing in front of him.

"YEOWCH!" the Kremling roared. "Yer gonna pay fer that!"

"Watch out!" another one standing next to him yelled in fear, seeing the sword flying straight at them!

Meanwhile, Diddy launched himself up and over the flying sword, back into the fighting ring. He looked back to see the blade that had been chasing him just before twirling straight at one of the spectators, the unfortunate Kremling's eyes wide with fear. However, a small yellow Kremling, wielding two rather large cutlasses, moved in front and deflected the flying sword with a loud _CLANG! _The deadly projectile clattered harmlessly to the deck of the ship.

"Thanks fer savin' me life, Kutlass!" the other Kremling sighed in relief.

"No problem," Kutlass replied proudly. "Does this mean that I get out of latrine duty?"

The other Kremling's eyes narrowed. "No."

"Aw, man!" Kutlass sighed disappointedly.

At that moment, Diddy heard Dixie cry out, and he looked back to see the leader advancing on her, slashing his other sword mercilessly.

"Hold still, girl!" the large Kremling roared. "It'll be quick, I promise!"

He raised the sword above his head, ready to bring it down and impale his opponent. She saw this coming and just managed to roll out of the way of the blow, causing the sword to get stuck in the wooden deck of the ship. Dixie saw her chance and rolled as hard as she could into the leader's chest. However, he hardly flinched.

"Har har har, you call _that_ an attack?" he yelled, backhanding her across the face! Dixie cried out in pain, falling down to the deck.

"Dixie!" Diddy cried. He glared at the Kremling leader, who turned to face him. "You... you'll pay!" he yelled, launching himself at the pirate.

The leader's sword was stuck in the ground, but he was still much bigger and stronger than Diddy. He simply stood there and let the monkey punch him in the stomach with all the strength he could muster. Once again, the Kremling laughed off the attack. One of his hands shot out and grasped Diddy around the throat. He lifted him into the air, choking him.

"Hehe, I should warn you, little monkey," the Kremling hissed. "I am the Kaptain's right-hand man. _No one_ challenges me without being annihilated!"

Diddy gasped and struggled in vain, trying to force air into his lungs. The Kremling spectators cheered again, while their leader grinned sadistically. Suddenly, he heard his audience gasp, and a metallic sheathing sound from down near his belt.

"What on earth – "

Suddenly, he roared in pain and dropped Diddy. He looked down to see his own dagger sticking out of his leg. He turned to face the small female monkey responsible. She still had an angry red splotch on her cheek where he had hit her.

The Kremling's thoughts blazed with fury. _You... you _dare_ to swipe my own knife from my belt and _stab me in the leg_ with it?_ He let out another roar of anger and turned back to his sword which was still stuck in the deck of the ship. However, he was so enraged that, when he pulled, it easily came unstuck.

"Uh, oh..." Dixie whispered nervously.

Without another word, the Kremling hurled the sword at her in a similar fashion that he had against Diddy. Dixie was too close to be able to avoid the attack. She was done for.

However, just before he let go, the Kremling's hand was knocked upward, and the sword thrown high, allowing Dixie to duck under it. He looked down furiously to see that Diddy had managed to knock his hand upward, interfering with the throw. He angrily punched Diddy in the face, sending the poor monkey toppling back down.

"You wait your turn," he hissed dangerously. He reached down to his belt, drew an old-fashioned flintlock pistol and turned back toward Dixie, levelling it at her. This _schoolgirl_, who had dared to stab him! Her death was all that mattered. His finger squeezed the trigge –

"Boss! Look out!" one of the Kremlings on the sideline screamed.

The leader looked in confusion to see that his forgotten boomerang sword that he had thrown at Dixie was flying back at him! His eyes widened in shock a split-second before the sword came back to him, slicing one of his legs off.

"Arghhhhhhh!" he screamed in agony. "My leg! My leg!" He collapsed back onto the deck of the ship, grasping the stump where his leg used to be.

The other pirates stood around, staring in shock at the scene, and not quite sure what to do.

"What are you waiting for?" the leader screamed. "Kill them!"

The pirates approached, weapons raised. Diddy and Dixie shut their eyes and waited for the end. However, loud booms echoed all around them, followed by panicked yells. They opened their eyes to see that several large rocks and barrels had fallen from the sky onto several Kremlings.

"What on earth – " Diddy looked to the sky and saw an amazing sight.

A flock of large parrots, all bearing a similar resemblance to Squawks, some green and some purple, were swooping over the ship, dropping blunt missiles onto the hapless pirates.

One of the green parrots flew down and landed next to them. "Come on, let's go! I'm here to extract you!"

"Squawks?" Dixie asked in confusion.

"No, Squawks is my cousin, and right now he's busy leading this aerial strike. My name is Quawks! Grab onto my talons and let's go!"

* * *

The daring rescue of Diddy and Dixie successful, the flock of parrots retreated, dodging cannonballs fired at them from the ship. Quawks flew to the eastern shore of the ocean inlet and dropped the Kongs off on a grassy hill.

"I have to be off now," the parrot screeched, taking to the skies again.

"Thanks for everything!" Dixie called after him.

Her partner stared across the valley at the volcano blazing on the other side of the water, while she looked across at the pirate ship sailing in retreat toward the ocean.

"We'll give Squawks a couple of days to warn the others on the island," she said, thinking aloud. "Then we could ask him to fly us out to the galleon again at night – "

"It won't work," Diddy interrupted. "The ship is too fast, and will be far out at sea soon. Squawks won't be able to carry us for that long."

Dixie shot him a frustrated glance. "Hmph. Okay... well... maybe we could get Funky to fly us there in his biplane and – "

"His plane is a big floating barrel with wings! It's too conspicuous, and not as manoeuvrable in the air as Squawks is. We'd be shot down."

Dixie turned and rounded on Diddy. "What is your problem? At least I'm trying to come up with ideas, not shooting them down!"

"We wouldn't be in this mess if we hadn't taken so long getting to Cranky's cabin! We took so many detours and long, unnecessary routes! The longest of which was going to the pirate ship in the cave yesterday."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you blaming _me_ for DK and Cranky's kidnapping?"

"No! But that trip aboard the ship gave us no new information and cost us a lot of time – " Diddy started.

"Shut your mouth! If you'll remember, you _agreed_ to sneak onboard! _And_ your little field trip to the mine-shaft got us attacked by the Kremlings, lost in the caves, and nearly eaten by a giant worm monster!"

Diddy couldn't believe his ears. "At least my 'little field trip' got us valuable intel on what the Kremlings are up to! We wouldn't have known about the volcano in Vine Valley otherwise!"

"You smug little monkey – " Dixie started, but was interrupted when another monkey leapt down from the trees at the edge of the hilltop clearing and landed next to them.

"Nadhi!" Diddy exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm glad I found you both," the ninja said quietly. She gazed across the valley at the erupting volcano. "It seems that you were telling the truth about the Kremlings."

"Yes, we were," Dixie replied, annoyed. "I'm glad you finally decided to believe us."

Nadhi had a worried look in her eyes. "I was unable to find the others of my clan. I fear the worst has happened to them. I must travel to the temple that Mri, my leader, has made his home and speak to him."

Dixie was still seething from her argument with Diddy. "Well, I'm very sorry, but what does that have to do with us?"

"I have come to ask for your help. You both have lived on this island for a long time?"

"Dixie only came here a few years ago, but I have lived here most of my life," Diddy offered.

"I am still new here and do not yet know where many things are. I need to find my way to the Gorilla Glacier."

"Why?" Diddy asked, confused.

"Because that's probably where the temple is that her leader is living, you dolt," Dixie snapped.

"That is correct," Nadhi replied.

"Well, I guess we could take you there – " Diddy started, but Dixie cut him off.

"No. I'm sorry, but I can't afford to waste any more time when DK and Cranky are in danger. I'm going to Typhoon Lagoon to find Funky's beach house, and ask him for his help."

"But Dixie, you heard what Nadhi said before. She said that they came here from another island which was destroyed by a volcano. Her leader might have information that could help us defeat the Kremlings!"

Dixie sighed, as if she struggled with her next words.

Nadhi shifted uncomfortably. "I'll let you two decide." With that, she disappeared into the trees.

Diddy approached his girlfriend. "Dixie, what is it?"

She turned to face him. "I can hear what you are saying. And you are probably right. You _should_ go to speak with this Nanji Clan leader. But I'm still going to find Funky."

"We shouldn't split up," Diddy protested. "It's dangerous to go alone."

Dixie sighed. "We've been arguing so much lately, Diddy. And the way that you always have to take charge makes me nervous. I thought that I'd proven to you that I am a capable adventurer too. I thought that you'd trust me by now, but you obviously don't."

"But – " Diddy started, but she cut him off again.

"You're wonderful Diddy. But I'm not sure anymore if I..." Her words trailed off, and she looked away for a moment.

"Dixie, what are you saying?" Diddy asked softly.

She looked back at him. "Diddy, you go with Nadhi to Gorilla Glacier to find Mri. I'm going to Typhoon Lagoon to find Funky."

Nothing more needed to be said. Dixie turned and walked away without looking back. Diddy stared after her in silence for a moment, before turning and walking away into the trees to look for Nadhi.


	6. Chapter 6: Typhoon Lagoon

**Chapter 6: Typhoon Lagoon**

* * *

Dixie ran through the trees, not looking back. She felt horrible for the things she had said to Diddy, but they had to be said. She did not stop running. Soon, the sky began to darken, and she climbed up a tree to find shelter for the night. As she lay in the leaves looking up at the twinkling stars, she remembered the night that she had first met Diddy, after he had returned from his first big adventure with DK.

Dixie had just moved to DK Island with her sister Tiny Kong, and she was missing her friends and family back on her home island. However, the friendly, albeit nervous young Diddy had made her feel comfortable and welcome, and she soon grew to love her new home.

Dixie had not slept for two days, since before she had travelled with Diddy to the ocean cavern to check on the Banana Hoard. But as tired as she was, it was a long time before she fell asleep, feeling lonely.

* * *

Dixie awoke early the next day with sunlight in her eyes, feeling groggy and confused. Was the sun shining in through the window in her tree-house? Was she actually safe at home in bed? Had she had a horrible nightmare about haunted forests in Vine Valley, and Kremling pirates kidnapping DK and Cranky and setting in motion some terrifying plan to destroy DK Island?

Was she still together with Diddy? Had the events of the past two days all been a crazy dream?

Suddenly, everything came rushing back to her as she looked out over the island in the dawn light. The tree that she had slept in during nightfall stood at the southern edge of a beautiful lagoon on the east side of the island, with a number of waterfalls and small islands. In the middle of the water stood a huge tooth-shaped boulder, with the wreckage of a pirate galleon balanced precariously on top. It was the remnants of a ship that the Kremlings had used in one of their first raids on DK Island. Unfortunately for them, they had not appreciated how wild and unpredictable the weather of the island can be.

Dixie stood on a cliff high above the water. As far as she could see, the only way down was climbing down a forested path next to a waterfall cascading into the bay. She made her way across to the waterfall, and gingerly began to climb down the rocks. The path was overgrown with small shrubs, and covered by trees growing overhead, making the air quite cool. The rocks were not only wet, but also covered with moss, making it especially tricky to climb down.

"What I wouldn't give for Squawks to be around to ask for a lift down," Dixie muttered to herself.

At that moment, her foot slipped on some water trickling down the rocks, and she lost her balance. Dixie toppled over the edge of the cliff, plummeting down toward the sharp rocks in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. She screamed in terror, and desperately grabbed for anything to save her. She managed to grab a root and slow her fall momentarily. But the root tore away from the wall, and her fall continued. She spied a vine out of the corner of her eye and grabbed at it. She managed to wrap her hand around it, and it fortunately did not tear out of the cliff rock. Dixie held on for dear life as she slid down the vine, feeling her hands burn. However, her fall slowed, and she eventually came to a stop about twenty metres above the pointy rocks at the bottom of the falls.

Now, Dixie was in a new predicament: she was suspended on a vine above the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. She knew that falling down here would break one of her legs, at the very least. The vine hung too far away from the cliff-face for Dixie to reach it with her arm. And her palms were burning in pain from holding into the vine to stop her fall. She knew that she wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

"Aw, damn..." she gasped irritably.

However, she quickly came up with an idea. Bringing both of her feet in front of her and shifting her weight forward, she felt the vine swing slightly.

_Bingo._

Dixie swung her weight back, and then forward again. The vine slowly started to swing with her, bringing her closer and closer to the cliff-face. She readied herself to grab for the rock. As soon as she swung close enough, her hand shot out and managed to find a handhold: a small piece of rock jutting out. She held onto this and felt around with her left foot, managing to secure a foothold lower down. Once she was secure on the cliff, she let go of the vine and it swung back out over the waterfall pool.

Dixie slowly climbed down the rest of the waterfall, and jumped straight into the cold pool at the bottom, drinking thirstily and soothing her burning hands. When she climbed out of the waterfall, she followed the path through a small amount of trees and finally emerged onto the beach of Typhoon Lagoon.

Dixie surveyed her surroundings. Across the water on the far north side of the bay lay another imposing cliff-face, on the other side of which was a plateau where Funky's beach house and workshop could be found. She waded into the sea up to her waist, and looked across to the far side of the bay. It would be quite a swim, but Dixie was a good swimmer, and she knew she could make it.

She was just about to dive in when she saw something a little further out at sea. It was a flash of movement, but when she looked, it was gone. Suddenly, she saw it again.

_What is that? Fast-moving, grey... triangular?_

With a shock, Dixie realised what was out there. "Oh, hell no!" she cried, jumping out of the water and back onto the rocks. _There's no way I'm swimming through shark-infested waters! Damn... what do I do now?_

She looked back along the shoreline of the lagoon, but realised that it would not be possible to walk along the beach, as several cliffs jutted out through the water and into the lagoon. She surveyed the rocks that she was standing on above the water, and noticed that there were craggy rocks scattered all along the bay in the water. Some even passed close to the huge boulder in the middle where the ship-wreck was perched on. Dixie took a deep breath and set off along the rocks above the water.

The rocks in the lagoon were just as slippery as the ones she had climbed down next to the waterfall, due to the fact that there were waves constantly crashing against them. Dixie made her way carefully across the rocks on all fours to keep maximum balance, and lay down on her back whenever a wave washed across a rock that she happened to be climbing on. It was slow progress, and Dixie was starting to wander if she should have just gone the long way around, through the surrounding jungle instead. She made sure to stay out of tidal pools, as she knew that octopi lurked in them, venomous and ready to strike.

After a while of clambering and jumping from rock to rock, she came to the apparent end of the path through the water. The next rock was relatively close, but it was too far to jump to. Dixie would have to swim. She looked around nervously, and looked carefully into the water to see if there were any sharks lurking below the surface. She could not see any, but the water was quite deep here. The turquoise water was crystal-clear, giving a spectacular view to the sandy bottom, where the light from the sun rippled across the sand. However, there were many nooks and crannies in the rocks below the surface where dangerous creatures could be hiding.

Dixie took a deep breath and carefully lowered herself into the water, frightened that at any moment she would become shark bait. She slowly and carefully paddled through the water, doing her best to make as little splashing or ripples as possible, hoping to remain unnoticed. She kept her eyes on the rock ahead. Just over halfway, she noticed movement below her and looked down to see a stingray cruising below her. Dixie held her breath to stop herself from panicking, and kept on swimming. Eventually, she reached the rock that she had been swimming for, climbed onto it quickly, and then collapsed on her back in relief.

Dixie lay there for a moment, feeling the sun dry her fur, and then she got up and looked around. She was perched on a rock pillar near the middle of the bay, quite close to the huge tooth-like rock. She looked up at the derelict ship, and saw, to her absolute shock, Funky standing high above her on the deck of the pirate ship!

She cupped her hands to her mouth and yelled as loudly as she could. "Fuuuunkyyyyyy!"

The ape did not seem to hear her, so she called again. This time, he looked down and saw her, and started waving. He shouted something out at her, but he was too far away for her to hear him properly. She jumped across the rocks to the base of the huge tooth-like rock and started climbing up.

_What on earth is Funky doing on a shipwreck balancing on top of a huge rock in the middle of a bay?_ Dixie thought to herself. But then again, Funky was a rather eccentric and crazy dude.

She soon reached the top of the large rock and climbed up the rotting wooden hull of the shipwreck, eventually emerging on the deck of the ship itself.

"Funky!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing up here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Dixie-dude," Funky said.

She put her hands on her hips. "I asked you first."

"Well, I was just out testing out my new invention: the Rocket Barrel. See, it's this barrel which I've fitted with a jet engine from my old plane. With a bit of tinkering, I managed to get it manoeuvrable and it's great fun to fly!" The ape grinned, obviously very pleased with himself.

"Okay... But why are you out on this pirate ship?"

He looked rather embarrassed at that. "Well, I forgot to tighten the fan-belt before take-off, and the Rocket Barrel started jerking around and making all sorts of funny vibrations. I was flying past the ship when the belt actually got snagged on the mast and ripped clean off! The Rocket Barrel fell like a stone when that happened, but luckily the ship deck was here to catch us both."

Dixie just shook her head in disbelief. "You're crazy, Funky."

He ignored that last comment and looked up toward the mast. "I just need to figure out a way to get up there and retrieve the fan-belt – "

"Forget about that for a minute," Dixie said urgently, remembering why she had come looking for him. "Funky, DK Island is in serious trouble. The Kremlings are back, and they're trying to destroy the island! I don't know how they did it, but they already caused two subterranean volcanos to erupt, and now they've kidnapped DK and Cranky – "

"Whoa, hold it there," he cut in. "You mean that K. Rool is back _again?_ And he kidnapped DK and Cranky?"

"It's not K. Rool this time," Dixie replied. "The Kremlings are taking their orders from someone called Kaptain Kraft."

"Kraft? Never heard of him."

"Neither has anyone else,' she said irritably. "But they're up to something big. We have to stop them!"

"Whoa, count me out, Dixie-dude," Funky said, putting his hands out and stepping backward. "I hate adventures."

"But I really need your help," she pleaded. "The Kremlings took DK and Cranky away on a pirate ship. I need you to fly me out to it so that I can rescue them."

The surfer ape considered this for a moment. "Well, if my main man DK and his old man are in trouble, you can count on me."

"Oh, thank you!" Dixie cried, leaping forward and hugging him. "Come on, follow me down and we can make our way over to your workshop to get the plane."

Funky looked sad. "If only my Rocket Barrel was working, we could take it to my pad. The sad thing is that it wasn't even damaged in the fall. It's in tip-top shape." He gestured behind him to the Rocket Barrel standing upright on the deck of the pirate galleon. "All it needs is for me to put the fan-belt back in the engines, and it would run good-as-new!"

The Rocket Barrel was a relatively small barrel, with a pointed nose, and a small jet on the bottom. Like Funky said, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it superficially. However, Dixie felt nervous with the idea of flying through the sky on a flimsy wooden barrel "rocket".

"...And if we took the Rocket Barrel, would we be able to get to your workshop quickly?" she asked timidly.

"A lot more quickly," Funky replied.

Dixie thought for a moment about DK and Cranky, at the mercy of the Kremlings. "Alright," she sighed, "I suppose we should take the Rocket Barrel then."

Funky looked confused. "Didn't ya hear me, Dixie? The Rocket Barrel needs the fan-belt, which is caught on the top of the mast, all the way up there." He pointed upward, toward the sail of the pirate ship.

However, she had already started climbing up the mast. "That's what I'm here for, Funky. Just direct me to where the fan-belt is stuck."

* * *

After about ten minutes, Dixie had climbed up into the tattered sails of the shipwreck with Funky's directing from the ship-deck below, retrieved the fan-belt, and made her way back down to the deck of the ship.

"Thanks Dixie-dude," Funky said, grabbing the fan-belt and getting to work on the Rocket Barrel.

Within ten more minutes, the belt had been fitted to his satisfaction, and he informed Dixie that the Rocket Barrel was ready to fly again. The pair climbed onto the Rocket Barrel, and Funky leaned down to pull the cord to start the engine.

Although they were in a hurry, Dixie secretly hoped that the Rocket Barrel would not start, so that she wouldn't have to ride on it. But, of course, the engine came alive with a roar, a spurt of fire puffed out of the exhaust at the bottom of the rocket, and the barrel was launched into the air!

Dixie closed her eyes and screamed in terror, hanging onto the rocket for dear life. Funky, however, was as cool, calm and collected as ever. He expertly steered the rocket toward the northern bank of the lagoon.

"Hey, Dixie, check this out!" he yelled over the roar of the engine, pulling the rocket into a tight horizontal spin.

Dixie screamed again, but this time, it was more in joy than terror. She couldn't believe it. She was actually enjoying riding on this thing! "Funky, you're a genius – " she started to say, when the Rocket Barrel gave a great shudder.

"Uh, oh," the pilot said unexpectedly.

"Funky, what was that?" Dixie demanded nervously.

The engine on the Rocket Barrel sputtered, and the rocket began to lose altitude.

"Um, this isn't supposed to be happening!"

"Funky, I swear, if this thing crashes and kills us, I'm going to kill you!" Dixie cried.

The Rocket Barrel was descending over the northern bank of the lagoon, heading straight into the jungle beside the sea. Without warning, the barrel gave another great jolt, and Dixie was thrown off into the trees below.

"Funkyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" she screamed as she fell down through the trees. She tumbled through the branches and fell toward a jungle pool. She hit the cold water with a great big splash, and then everything went dark.


	7. Chapter 7: Gorilla Glacier

**Chapter 7: Gorilla Glacier**

* * *

Diddy traversed the mountain with Nadhi in silence. They had left Vine Valley a few hours back, and were now trudging through desolate grassy tundra near the top of the island. They soon came to a sheer wall of rock.

"This cliff is too high to climb," Nadhi said presently.

"If we follow it around, we should be able to find a way up," Diddy replied.

The pair followed the cliff, and soon came to a wide split between the rocks.

"If we find a way to the top of this crevice, we'll pretty close to the top," Diddy said.

"This land is very inhospitable," Nadi remarked. "But you seem to know this place quite well. Have you been up here before?"

He nodded silently.

"Why would you come to a place like this?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"My friend was getting himself into trouble after something of his was stolen. I had to come along and watch his back." He then turned to face her. "You seem surprised that I've been up here before. But doesn't your leader live up here?"

Nadhi shrugged her shoulders. "His choice baffles me as well, but I do not question Mri. It is not my place."

Diddy turned and started climbing up the rough rock of the crevice. His companion nimbly followed him. The two monkeys ascended in silence for a while, focusing on the effort of climbing. The air was getting quite cold, thin and misty, and there were many loose rocks that fell away from the cliff as soon as they were touched.

"The sun is starting to go down," Nadhi said from higher up.

Diddy looked up and could see that they sky was beginning to grow dark. "Yeah. We'd better find some shelter for the night."

The pair continued to climb until they reached a small plateau jutting out of the cliff-face. A small cave could be found on the plateau.

"Here is as good a place as any," Diddy sighed.

He and Nadhi entered the cave, completely unaware that they were being watched.

* * *

Half an hour later, the pair of monkeys had a fire roaring, and were relatively warm. Nadhi opened a canvas that she had been carrying and an assortment of fruits came tumbling out.

"Eat," she said. "You need to keep up your strength, especially in the snow."

"I'm not really hungry," Diddy shrugged.

The ninja was silent for a moment, and then pulled out a long-bladed knife.

"Whoa, whoa! Okay!" Diddy cried, startled. He picked up a banana and started peeling it.

Nadhi smiled. "Relax." She used the knife to cut open a pineapple.

Diddy frowned, annoyed at himself. He was supposed to braver than this!

_I'm supposed to be brave, yet I came here with Nadhi, while I let Dixie wander off into the wilderness on her own._

_ She made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want me with her._

_ It doesn't matter. I shouldn't have let her go alone._

"It is lucky that your island is so big," Nadhi said, cutting into his thoughts. "Our island was a lot smaller, and one volcano was all it took to make it uninhabitable."

Diddy stared into the fire. "What was it like?"

"You mean when the volcano erupted?"

"Yes."

Nadhi sighed sadly. "It was a terrible day. The volcano had been extinct for many years. However, on that day, the ground shook, and it was brought to life again. A thick cloud of ash was blown into the sky. My people were forced to take to the boats, and leave the island immediately."

Diddy looked at her in sympathy. Her life, and the lives of many others, had been uprooted and they had been forced to leave their homes. "What was your island like?" he asked softly.

"It was beautiful," she reflected sadly. "A thick jungle surrounded the mountain, and a coral reef shielded the beaches from the waves. We were happy there."

The two monkeys were silent for a moment after that, staring at their food thoughtfully, while the fire flickered.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your island," Diddy said presently.

Nadhi smiled. "Thank you for your kindness, Diddy. Even after I attacked you back in the valley."

He shrugged and continued eating.

"And I'm sorry about what happened between you and Dixie," Nadhi said quietly.

He quickly changed the subject. "I won't lie – I'm travelling to the glacier for my people too. Your leader might have valuable information that could help us."

"I should warn you, Mri does not take kindly to outsiders. My people are very bitter after our island was destroyed."

"Well, hopefully I'll be able to convince him that I'm a friend."

Nadhi looked worried, but did not say anything.

* * *

Several hours later, they both lay asleep, Diddy having entered the Sandman's veil thinking of Dixie, who at that moment was asleep in a tree on the edge of Typhoon Lagoon. The fire had died down to crackling embers, and the cave became quite dark. Three dark figures crept into the cave with swords in their hands, surrounding the sleeping figures.

However, before they could complete their encirclement, Nadhi awoke with a start and jumped to her feet, drawing her katana.

"Who goes there?" she challenged.

The three figures did not reply, but stood silently, eyeing her down. Diddy had awoken by now, and stood nervously. Upon closer inspection, he was surprised to find that they were also monkeys, their faces covered with black face masks.

"Sister," one of the figures finally spoke. "We are glad to see that you are alive."

Nadhi bowed. "And you, brother."

"Come, we must take you to the temple at once."

"Uh, hi," Diddy said awkwardly. "I'm – "

"Be silent, slave!" one of the other figures snapped harshly. "You are trespassing on our territory. You are one mistake away from dying where you stand."

"Brother, please," Nadhi said. "He is a native of the island, and my guide."

"Hmph, a native," the first ninja spat. "No longer. This island belongs to the Nanji Clan now."

"I beg your pardon?" Diddy said angrily.

"Maku, what are you talking about?" Nadhi asked quietly. She did not like where this was going.

"Our master has given us orders, orders that will determine the future of our clan. We must cleanse this place of all impurity, and establish our new home."

Nadhi gasped, while Diddy shook with anger.

"You're trying to take DK Island away from us?" he demanded.

"We told you to keep your mouth shut," Maku said dangerously, advancing on him. "You will regret not showing us the proper respect."

However, he was shocked when Nadhi stepped in front of him. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you do this."

"You side with HIM?" he exclaimed incredulously.

Nadhi stood silently, facing him.

Maku raised his katana. "Very well then. I will show you the error of your ways."

"I don't think so," she replied, gripping her own sword tightly. "If you remember, I was Mri's top student. You would do well not to challenge me."

However, Maku had already swung his katana at her in a decapitating stroke. Quick as a flash, she moved her sword and blocked the blow with a loud _clang!_ Maku jumped back and hurled two shurikens at Nadhi with blinding speed. However, she deflected them both with her katana and then launched one of her own shurikens at her attacker, who dodged nimbly out of the way.

However, as he was in the air, Nadhi lunged forward, just like she had against Diddy. Right before she reached Maku, she flicked her sword upward and knocked his katana out of his hands. A look of shock appeared in the other ninja's eyes before Nadhi knocked him to the floor of the cave. She pointed her weapon down at him.

"I show you mercy, Maku. But do not expect similar treatment if you attack me and my friend again."

Maku slowly climbed to his feet and retrieved his sword. "You are making a grave mistake, Nadhi." He and the other two ninjas vanished into the night.

Diddy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Nadhi. I – "

"We have to get moving," she said quickly, gathering her belongings. "They will return, and soon."

* * *

The two monkeys scampered out of the cave and began to climb up the crevice cliff again. Travelling was slower and much more dangerous, as they had been forced to leave in the dark. However, fortunately, it started to get brighter as dawn approached.

"That guy was your _brother_?" Diddy asked in disbelief. "And he attacked you?"

"He is not my brother by blood," Nadhi replied simply.

After about an hour of climbing, they came to an icy waterfall cascading down from the top of the cliffs.

"We'll be able to reach the glacier if we climb up here," Nadhi suggested.

"It's very icy," Diddy said. "It could be pretty dangerous."

"It's the most direct way to the top," she persisted. "We have to get a move on – the others of my clan will be hunting us now."

"I still don't get why we're going to see your leader," he remarked. "If he gave them the orders to attack me, do you really think it's a good idea?"

"Mri would have never given an order like that," Nadhi murmured worriedly. "I fear that something might have happened to him. We must get to him as quickly as possible."

With that, she turned and began to climb up the icy path next to the waterfall. Diddy sighed warily and followed her. It was a slow climb; the rocks were icy, but also slippery from the mist projected by the waterfall. Diddy climbed carefully, having to stop often in order to check his balance. Nadhi, on the other hand, climbed expertly, constantly telling him to hurry up.

_Sheesh, give me a break. I'm not a ninja,_ he grumbled to himself.

* * *

A couple of hours passed, and the pair eventually came to the top of the waterfall by about mid-morning. They found themselves looking into an icy world. There was ice, crevices and snow; the Gorilla Glacier.

"What a harsh wasteland," Nadhi commented.

"Blizzards can strike without warning at this altitude," Diddy warned. "We have to try and cross the glacier as quickly as possible."

With that, they set off across the glacier toward the mountaintop. Diddy presently heard the sound of flapping wings above him and looked up to see several huge vultures flying overhead.

_Oh god, not Neckys,_ he thought fearfully to himself.

The airborne predators hunted in flocks, attacking their prey from above relentlessly until their victim was dead – or worse, incapacitated. Then the Neckys would feast. Diddy had lost count of the number of times he had been saved from the vicious vultures by DK.

"Nadhi..." he whispered carefully. "Stop moving..."

"What? Why?" she asked, confused.

He looked up nervously and saw that the Neckys were now circling them overhead. "Those vultures above us will rip us to shreds... We need to stay still..."

Diddy and Nadhi imitated statues, not daring to look up at the birds. The Neckys circled overhead for some time. A young Necky flapped down above and landed quite close to them, eyeing Diddy down. The monkey gulped and held his breath. The young Necky inched closer, cocking its head to one side, and croaked suddenly. Diddy nearly jumped with fright.

Suddenly, its mother screeched overhead, the young Necky took to the sky again and the flock of vultures flew off into the distance. Diddy and Nadhi looked at each other and breathed collective sighs of relief, and Nadhi released her tight grip on the hilt of her sword.

* * *

Against the stunning white backdrop of snow-covered peaks in the distance, three ninjas approached their superior, fell to one knee and bowed, each placing a hand on the ground. The cold ice bit into their palms, but they did not wince or show their discomfort. Showing pain was a sign of weakness.

Their superior stood silently for a moment, watching them. Finally, he spoke. "Where is Nadhi?"

"She has betrayed us, brother," Maku said immediately. "She is helping a native of the island, and she attacked me."

The lead ninja addressed one of his underlings. "Is this true?"

"Yes, brother," the other ninja replied without looking up.

The lead ninja contemplated this for a moment. He started to pace in front of them. "Come now, Maku. She has been in mourning period since we first came to this island. Perhaps she is confused."

Maku shook his head furiously. "She knows what she is doing. Nadhi said she would kill me if she saw me again."

"...By the laws of our master, attacking a fellow member of the clan is a capital crime."

"Yes, brother," Maku replied, eagerly awaiting the inevitable order.

"...Very well. Bring her in. Eliminate the other one."

"I will not disappoint you, brother."

* * *

The ice-covered landscape of the Gorilla Glacier was proving as treacherous as it was beautiful. Nadhi and Diddy had made good progress for the past few hours, but an increasing amount of crevices and slippery slopes was beginning to slow them down considerably.

"C-C-Can I ask you a question?" he called out from behind.

The ninja sighed impatiently and turned around. "What is it?"

Diddy tromped through a relatively thick patch of snow and joined her. He was shivering, so he set off at a faster pace to try and combat the cold. Nadhi suddenly realised how cold she was, and wrapped her arms around herself.

"You're a part of the N-Nanji Clan, right? So how come you're completely out of the loop with what's been going on?"

She sighed sadly. "I have been in m-mourning period."

"Mourning period...?" Diddy said, confusion lacing his tone.

"Yes. I lost my father to the volcano that consumed my island. In my clan, when someone loses a loved one, it is custom for them to go into isolation for three months to reflect on life and death."

"Three months? You have to spend th-three months a-alone?" he asked in disbelief.

Nadhi looked over at him, puzzled. "Yes. You need time by yourself to gather your thoughts and emotions, and come out of the ordeal as a stronger person."

Diddy was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful. Snowflakes gradually started to drift downward from the sky.

"I can t-tell that you've lost someone in the p-past," the girl said observantly. "What did you do to overcome your grief?"

"I never really did. Instead, I left home and came to this island."

* * *

The pair of monkeys walked across the icy landscape until they came to another large cliff. The sky greyed as the snow began to fall faster and harder.

"It's t-t-too high to climb," Diddy said. "We'll have to find a way around."

They walked along the cliff for about an hour, as they sky gradually began to darken. Diddy fervently hoped that they would be able to find a small, defensible cave to shelter them from the night.

_And assassins,_ he grimly reminded himself.

His hopes were apparently answered when they came across a cave entrance. Upon closer inspection, there were mine cart tracks running into the tunnel.

"We should take shelter in the mine before it gets dark," Nadhi said. She did not mention that Maku's skills excelled at night.

Diddy nodded in agreement. "And it's a m-m-mine sh-sh-sh – " Diddy stomped his feet and blew on his hands to try and warm himself a little. "It's a m-mine shaft. That m-means that there might be an easy way to the top of the cliff inside."

With that, they entered the tunnel, and soon came to a spectacular sight. They found themselves in a mine-shaft. They could see the darkening sky through an opening in the top high above. Although it was still cold inside the cave, it was nowhere near as frigid as it had been outside in the wind. Over the years, hundreds of icicles and icy stalagmites and crystals had formed, reflecting the light shining in through the opening. A circular pit taking up most of the floor was present in the centre of the shaft, so deep that neither Nadhi nor Diddy could see the bottom.

He eyed the wooden scaffolding scattered around the edges of the mine-shaft, remembering all too well his near-death experience in the mine back in Vine Valley. But Squawks was not around to save them this time.

"I guess that we can get in some climbing while it's still light," he commented.

With that, he and Nadhi began an all-too familiar journey of jumping across rickety wooden platforms. He found himself dreading every jump, in case the next platform should fail and fall into the deep pit at the bottom of the shaft. Fortunately, the scaffolding held, and they were able to make relatively good progress up the mine-shaft.

There were nearing the top when Nadhi spoke out. "Perhaps we should stop here? It will be night soon, and we will not be able to cross the glacier in the dark."

"Hm, you're right," Diddy agreed. "If we have to stop for the night, here in the cave is a far better option than out in the wind."

With that, he and Nadhi sat down in exhaustion and leaned back against the frigid wall of the cave.

"We can each take turns sleeping, while the other keeps watch," he mused.

"Yes. You go to sleep, and I will take the first watch."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine, I can do it." His sense of chivalry would not allow him to take the first rest.

Nadhi smiled. "Diddy, how many nights have you gone without proper sleep? I am certain that you got none in Vine Valley. And last night, we had to abandon our cave early. I insist that I take the first watch."

Diddy opened his mouth, but found himself too tired to argue. "Okay..." he mumbled, leaning back against the cave wall and lowering his cap down over his eyes. His arms clutched his sides for warmth.

"I do not think that we should stay in one place for too long," the masked warrior thought out loud. "I reckon that we take three hours rest each, and then we should get moving again. What do you think?"

Her companion did not hear her question.

* * *

Maku's eyes scanned the white landscape. It was only an hour earlier that he had seen his targets crossing the glacier in this direction. But there was now a large cliff in his way. The fugitives must have walked along the cliff.

He nodded at his companions, and they followed him around the sheer wall of rock. After some time, the three Nanji came to the entrance of a cave. Maku grinned in triumph.

"Do you think they went in there?" one of the other ninjas asked.

Not bothering to answer, Maku entered the mine.

* * *

Nadhi walked to the edge of the platform and looked down. She could have sworn that she heard something. But there was nothing moving down below. She looked back at Diddy, who was leaning against the wall, fast asleep. She hoped that Mri would be more understanding of him than her brothers.

Suddenly, she heard another sound behind her. She whirled around to see a shadow darting behind a wooden supporting post on the far side of the main shaft. Nadhi's combat instincts pricked, and she quickly drew her katana. Turning her back at the wrong time could mean certain death.

Keeping her eyes on far side of the shaft where the shadow had disappeared, Nadhi slowly backed up and prodded Diddy. "Wake up," she hissed. "I think we're in trouble."

Diddy groggily opened his eyes. "Wha...? What's going on?"

Nadhi nodded toward the far side of the mine shaft. "I think the Nanji have caught up with us."

At that moment, a fleeting shadow came down from above and kicked her in the stomach, knocking her back several feet. She cried out in shock and raised her katana, only to have it knocked from her hands, sending it clattering to the floor. She was then bashed in the stomach with the hilt of a sword. The force of the blow knocked the breath out of her and she doubled over in pain.

"Nadhi!" Diddy cried, running toward the ninja who was attacking her.

However, he was hit in the back of the head and sent sprawling onto his stomach. He slid across the icy wooden platform toward the edge, but managed to stop himself just in time. He jumped to his feet and turned to see two more ninjas standing behind him. An arm of one of the monkeys came down and a distinct whistling noise echoed throughout the cavern. Diddy felt a sharp pain in his shoulder, and realised that he had been struck by a shuriken. The force of the blow caused him to lose his balance, and he toppled over the edge of the platform.

"Diddy! No!" Nadhi screamed.

Maku backhanded her across the face. "Shut up!" He reached down, grabbed a coil of rope from the platform and tossed it to one of his underlings. "Tie her up."

He walked up to the edge and looked over to see if there was any sign of Diddy. He crouched down and looked under the platform, but the other monkey was nowhere to be found. The fool must have fallen to his death.

He turned his attention back to Nadhi, who was in the process of having her hands tied behind her back. From the eye-slit in her face-mask, he could see her eyes blazing with fury. Maku strode right up to her, grabbed the black mask and pulled it roughly off her head. However, to his disappointment, after studying Nadhi's face, he found no signs of fear.

"I can tell that you've been waiting for this," she hissed quietly. "Why don't you just get it over with?"

Maku casually drew a long-bladed knife, similar to the one that Nadhi owned. "Oh, if only I could, sister. If it were up to me, I'd do away with you right here and now. Quickly, quietly..."

She said nothing. She toyed with the idea of running into him and sending him over the edge. However, his underlings held her firmly in place, preventing this.

Her adversary ran the knife blade through his fingers. "However, the laws of our clan prolong your inevitable death. Our leader demands that the executions of traitors are to be carried out in his presence."

Despite the situation, Nadhi could not help but smile bitterly. "Mri is merciful."

It was Maku's turn to smile. "Mri is dead."

Her eyes went wide with shock. "What...?" she whispered.

"Your isolation in the woods caused you to miss it, sister. But Mri was weak! Foolish! His incompetence and inaction caused us to lose our island to the Kremlings."

"You know about the Kremlings?" she asked in surprise.

Maku started to pace. "Of course. Their meddling is what caused the mountain to erupt. But they are playing with power far beyond their reckoning. They have reignited an age-old war. The fools will learn the error of their ways soon enough." He stopped pacing, and turned to face his prisoner. "Mri did nothing to stop them, and we had to pay the price. So, Raine decided that he was no longer fit to serve as our leader."

"Raine killed him?" Nadhi gasped in horror.

He nodded silently, letting the fact sink in. Nadhi fell to her knees, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek. Maku removed his own face-mask, and then he bent down and lifted her chin, guiding her face up to meet his.

"Now, sister, you see the penalty of treachery to the Nanji Clan. Mri paid the ultimate price for this. And now, you will too."

He looked up and nodded at one of his underlings. The other ninja produced a black bag and forced it down over Nadhi's head, blackening her vision.

"Get her on her feet," Maku ordered. "We all have quite a way to walk, and Raine is eager to execute this traitor."

_And so am I._


	8. Chapter 8: Tiki Terror

**Chapter 8: Tiki Terror**

* * *

As Diddy and Nadhi were entering the mine-shaft in Gorilla Glacier, Dixie awoke and found herself lying face-up in the pool that she fell into when she was thrown off the crazy Rocket Barrel. She heard the sound of roaring water, and looked around to see that the pool she was floating in lay at the bottom of another waterfall in the jungle. Dixie checked herself over but miraculously, she did not seem to have sustained any injuries from her fall. She looked up. Although the sky was partially obscured by all the trees, she could still tell that it was daylight. She had no idea how much time had passed since she first fell into the pool, but she knew that it was time to get moving again.

Dixie climbed out of the pool and looked up at the waterfall. She knew that Funky had crashed in the jungle somewhere at the top of the waterfall. Luckily, it was not very tall and would be easy enough for her to scale. She spied movement out of the corner of her eye and looked back to see a strange wooden figure at the edge of the pool quickly disappearing back into the trees.

_Tikis.__ Great,__ just__ great.__ That__'__s__ exactly__ what__ I__ need._

Dixie ignored the Tiki and started climbing up the rocks of the waterfall. She knew that it was best to leave the supernatural jungle figures alone, rather of picking a fight with one. She carefully scaled the mossy rocks, pausing to cup her hands under the waterfall to take a drink every now and then. Soon enough, she found herself at the top of the cliff and wandered into the jungle to look for Funky.

It was cool in the shade beneath the jungle canopy, and quite pleasant to walk through. However, she had to stay on her guard in case she ran into other dangerous creatures, or Tikis more hostile than the one she had seen earlier at the waterfall. Suddenly, to her joy, she saw a faint trail of smoke in the sky overhead that continued straight down into the jungle.

_That__ must__ be__ where__ Funky__ crash-landed!_

After following the smoke trail for a while, Dixie heard some strange chattering up ahead. She cautiously approached the sounds, and saw, to her annoyance, three Tikis ahead, "talking" to each other in their native language. She started to make her way around them, but unfortunately, made a little too much noise. The Tikis noticed her, and one of them opened its mouth in a roar.

"Aw, cra – " Dixie did not get the chance to finish her sentence, as the Tiki spewed a volatile stream of fire from its mouth at her.

She threw herself out of the way of the lethal attack, and turned back to see her attackers coming toward her, their lifeless wooden eyes fixed on her. She ran for her life, but the relentless Tikis kept up their pursuit. Though they were much slower than her, they could actively limit where she could run by spraying fire into her path. She fervently hoped that the crazy Tikis would not burn the whole jungle down. Fortunately, the humid air and ever-present moisture in the jungle prevented the fires from spreading.

"I escape from active volcanos, and now I'm going to be burnt to death by a bunch of stupid Tikis?" she growled.

One of the "stupid Tikis" suddenly appeared right in front of her. However, before it could attack, Dixie rolled through it, knocking it over onto its back, and then she kept on running. The fallen Tiki twitched uselessly, unable to get up and continue its pursuit. However, the other two followed Dixie, and their fires trapped her at the top of a cliff at the edge of the jungle. She looked over the edge, and saw the ocean sparkling far below.

_Damn...__ What__ do__ I__ do__ now?_ she thought in a panic.

She heard rustling in the bushes, and looked toward the trees where she knew that the two Tikis would momentarily emerge from, moments before they blasted her into oblivion. Suddenly, she noticed a long, thin tree-branch in the foliage, and came up with a plan. A crazy, hare-brained plan that would probably get her killed. But it was better than nothing.

Moments later, the two Tikis emerged from the bushes and found, to their surprise, that the pink-clad female monkey was not standing on the edge of the cliff. They approached the edge and looked over, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, Dixie, who was lying in wait just inside the trees, let go of the thin tree-branch, which she had pulled back as far as she could. They branch swung through the air in a whip-like motion and caught the two unsuspecting Tikis from behind. They never knew what hit them. They squawked in shock as they were hurled off the cliff and plummeted toward the sea below.

Dixie ventured to the cliff-edge and looked over, but the Tikis had vanished into the waves. She sighed warily, and then continued her journey to Funky's crash site.

* * *

After a little while, Dixie started running when she heard Funky shouting, and the sound of... cannon fire? She soon came to a small clearing, where Funky stood, wielding his famous "coconut cannon". His ruined Rocket Barrel lay in the centre of the clearing, and he seemed to be defending the area from some unknown enemy.

"Funky!" Dixie gasped. "What are you doing?"

He looked over, and broke into a goofy grin. "Dixie! Glad to see you're alright!"

"You too! What's going on? Are you under attack?"

He raised the coconut cannon. "'Fraid so. By those dastardly Tikis. They've been tryin' to swarm the clearing for a while now."

Dixie cursed. "A few of them tried to roast me alive back in the jungle."

"Yeah, they're regular pyros... there's one!" Funky suddenly raised his cannon and fired a shot past Dixie's head. She looked back, but didn't see if he hit anything.

"How are we going to get out of here?" she asked, running over and taking cover next to him by the Rocket Barrel.

He reached into the Rocket Barrel, and handed her a wooden pistol. "I think you remember the peanut popgun? Like the coconut cannon, this shootah turns regular food into dangerous projectiles!"

Dixie smiled. "Ah, yes. Now we're talking." She looked up at the sky, which was starting to darken. "But we can't stay here forever. Tikis become more dangerous at night."

Funky did not reply at first, as he was busy taking pot-shots into the trees at Tikis moving just outside the clearing. He then turned back to her and held up a white whistle. "That's true. But I've already called for help. Rambi will hopefully be here soon to get us out of here. So we just need to hold out until he shows up."

"But that could take forever – " Dixie started, when she noticed a Tiki emerging from the undergrowth. She quickly aimed her popgun and shot the creature between the eyes. It screeched with pain and fled from the clearing.

"Less talkin', more shootin'!" Funky yelled.

Dixie's brow crinkled in concentration as she pelted two more Tikis with peanuts as they emerged from the trees. Thankfully, they turned and fled back into the trees. She quickly redirected her aim at more shadows emerging from the surrounding jungle and squeezed the trigger on the popgun. The loud _WHUMP_ of Funky's cannon punctuated the small pops from her little shooter. The heavy coconut projectiles slammed into unsuspecting Tikis with great force, either shattering them into tiny pieces or sending them flying back into the undergrowth.

"You're doin' great!" he yelled to Dixie as he fired on another offending Tiki.

"Thanks, you too!" she called back. At that moment, she heard the sound of heavy hooves rumbling through the jungle. _Could__it__be...?_

With a loud _CRASH_, a large rhinoceros came bounding out of the trees, battering aside several Tikis with a powerful swipe of his horn.

"Rambi!" Dixie cried out in relief.

The grey rhino huffed a deep-throated snort from his nostrils, still alert for enemies. "Glad to see you're both okay," he said. "Quick! Get on my back and I'll get you out of here!"

Dixie quickly clambered across and climbed up onto the creature's back without hesitation. "Come on, Funky!" she yelled.

"Hold on!" he called back. "I've gotta grab the Rocket Barrel!"

"Oh, come on – " she started to curse.

At that moment, more Tikis emerged from the trees from several different directions. They immediately converged on the barrel wreckage.

"Rambi, let's go!" Dixie called. "I'll shoot from your back!"

"Okay! Hang on tight!" he replied, lurching into action.

He trampled several offending Tikis while Dixie mopped up any stragglers with shots fired from her popgun, either knocking them out or forcing their retreat. However, more and more were emerging from the trees.

"Funky, grab your stupid rocket and let's get the heck out of here!" she screamed.

"Alright, keep your hair on!" the ever-cool ape replied, firing several more shots from his cannon as Rambi came to a stop beside him. With a fluid motion, he fastened the rocket barrel to the rhino's back with some rope and then climbed on behind Dixie. "Alright, let's bogey!"

"Hang on, it's going to get rough!" Rambi snorted as he charged forward, knocking several more Tikis aside with his powerful horn as he lumbered into the trees. He charged through the jungle at break-neck speed, ploughing through the foliage in his path. Dixie strained with the effort of holding on – the big rhino was in a hurry.

"Thanks for saving our hides back there!" she called out.

He grunted in response.

"Hey, can you take us to the edge of the jungle?" Funky called out. "We need to get to my workshop, pronto!"

"Okay!" Rambi called back over his shoulder. "You two had better hold on!"

With that, he smashed through a tree stump in the way, battering it aside with a swing of his head. The subsequent ten minutes consisted of him charging through the jungle, while the two primates clung to his back determinedly. The dense foliage presently gave way to a glorious view of the ocean, with a backdrop of the orange-tinged sky as evening approached.

"You two should be more careful," Rambi said to his passengers as he slowed to a stop, allowing them to dismount. "There are a lot of Tikis in the area."

"Well, that's the LAST time I get on that crazy Rocket Barrel," Dixie replied, pouting at Funky.

"Okay, so it's got a few kinks that need to be ironed out. But I'm really onto something, I'm tellin' ya!" he retorted defensively.

"Okay, I'm off! Take care you two," Rambi grunted, turning and running back into the trees.

"Thanks again!" Dixie called after him. She sighed in exhaustion – the events of the past three days had taken their toll on her, and she could feel her eyelids drooping –

"Not here, Dixie-dude," Funky said, startling her. "I've got a comfy hammock in my workshop."

Dixie looked around the bay. It was one she was quite familiar with. She could see Funky's workshop on a small island in the middle, silhouetted as the sun set, bathing the sky in a beautiful orange light.

"There are sharks in the water," she mused. "If your Rocket Barrel is busted, how are we going to get across?"

"Never fear, Dixie," Funky said, climbing down to the water's edge. "There's a friend to help us out."

He pulled out a blue whistle, put his head underwater and blew. "Now, we wait." He sat down on the sand and motioned for Dixie to join him. She sauntered over and sat down next to him. "So, where do you reckon the Kremlings are headed?" Funky asked.

"I don't know," Dixie said thoughtfully. "I'm guessing they've found an island to base themselves on."

"And you want me to fly you out to the pirate ship to try and recue DK and Cranky? All by yourself?"

Funky's words echoed in her ears. "Yes."

He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "I dunno, Dixie-dude. You and Diddy lay the smack-down on the Kremlings before. Why don't you both go – "

"Diddy's not coming," she said quickly.

"Why not?"

At that moment, there was a loud splash, and a blue swordfish surfaced near the shore. Dixie was grateful for the distraction.

"Hi, Funky!" the swordfish cried loudly. "And hi, Dixie! Long time, no see."

She smiled. "Hey, Enguarde."

"Enguarde, we need to get across the water to my workshop," Funky chimed in. "It's an emergency. Think you can help us out?"

"Not a problem," the swordfish replied, turning to face away from them. "Just jump on my back."

The others complied, and the swordfish shot off gracefully through the water. Dixie kept a nervous watch for sharks, stingrays and other dangerous sea creatures. Enguarde and Funky, on the other hand, were completely relaxed, taking the time to enjoy the sunset.

"Relax, Dixie," he chided. "Enguarde can handle any uncool fish, right buddy?"

"Sure," Enguarde responded. "This sword-nose isn't for show."

"I know," Dixie replied. "You've helped us so many times before; I should know better and trust you by now." _Unlike__ someone__ I__ know..._

After a short while of swimming, they approached the shallow waters of Funky's island. However, it was not actually an island, but a narrow peninsula that extended to the north shore of the bay, where another thick jungle lay. Dixie and Funky disembarked from Enguarde and thanked him for his help before he swam away.

"Alright, Dixie, I'm gonna have to make some pre-flight checks on the Biplane Barrel and make sure everything is in working order," Funky said over his shoulder as they entered his workshop.

"Sure thing," she replied. "As long as we're ready to fly out to the pirate ship as soon as possible."

They soon reached the surfer ape's pride and joy: the Biplane Barrel. A large barrel with wings and a propeller protruding from it, Dixie still found herself wondering how on earth the thing could fly. It looked about as aerodynamic as a sofa. Or a Gnawty wearing cardboard wings.

As Funky began to run checks on his plane, she ran a hand through her hair and frowned when she felt how knotted and frizzy it was.

"Hey Funky, my hair is all messy from the sea water. You wouldn't happen to have a shower, would you?"

He laughed. "Why, there's a shower right outside!"

"Where?"

"We're surrounded by the ocean."

She sighed in frustration. "That's not going to help my hair!"

"Hm," Funky said thoughtfully. "Well, there are some fresh-water pools and stuff in the jungle just north of the peninsula. You could go wash your hair there."

"How long do you reckon these pre-flight checks will take?"

"Maybe a couple of hours?"

That was all the encouragement she needed. "Great. I'm going to go and find a pool to wash in. I'll be back soon."

* * *

The jungle darkened slowly as the sun slowly sank over the western horizon. Dixie meandered through the cool green world under the canopy, and felt herself at peace once more. It had been a long few days, and she would soon be embarking on an extremely dangerous journey to free DK and Cranky from the clutches of the Kremlings.

_I __hope__ I__ am__ not__ too__ late__ to__ save__ them..._

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rustling in the bushes. She whirled around in alarm, but nothing was there. Only that strange light off in the distance –

_Wait,__what?_

Dixie squinted, and realised that it really _was_ a light that she was seeing. And _another__ one,_ appearing off to the side. The faint sound of drums could be heard as the strange lights came closer. Dixie gazed around in fear as more lights appeared in the dark trees and approached, slowly encircling her. She desperately looked around for an escape route, but everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but...

Fire.

As the drums drew nearer, she could discern that the lights were coming from the fiery eyes of many Tikis. Dixie cursed her luck and quickly picked up a stick to defend herself. This was going to get ugly.

"Stay back!" she cried, raising the stick warningly.

To her relief, the drums stopped and Tikis immediately halted their advance, forming a fiery ring around her. The silence in the jungle was absolute. However, her relief was short-lived as several Tikis jumped on top of each other, forming a tall wooden totem pole.

_Oh,__ you__'__ve_ got_ to__ be__ kidding __me..._

The beat of the war drums started up again as the Tiki totem pole began to spin, each segment rotating in opposite directions. Dixie eyed it carefully, searching in vain for a way out of this deadly situation. Suddenly, she yelled and threw herself to the side as a fireball flew at her. She looked back to see the deadly projectile strike the damp jungle ground in a puff of smoke. She redirected her gaze at the enemy just as the mouths of one the Tikis in the totem came into alignment with her. Another fireball immediately arced through the air, forcing her to jump out of the way.

"CUT IT OUT!" she yelled angrily.

_WHOOSH._

She was forced to dive for cover again as the Tiki totem launched yet another fireball at her.

"Okay, you want to play rough?" Dixie panted, gritting her teeth. "Fine!"

She thrust the end of her stick into one of the small infernos caused by the flying fireballs, lighting it as a long torch. She kept a weathered eye on the Tikis encircling her and her foe in case any of them attempted a sneak attack. However, they seemed to have some twisted sense of honour and took no action to interfere with the fight.

_Just __fine__ by__ me,_ she thought gratefully, hefting the torch.

The Tiki totem continued to rotate, belching yet another ball of flame at her. Dixie nimbly dodged to the side, and then leapt forward, holding the torch at its centre like a javelin. With a mighty cry, she hurled the torch, flame-first, straight into the mouth of one of the Tikis as it rotated into view. With a deafening roar, the entire totem burst into flame. Dixie gave a loud cry and jumped out of the way as the fiery remains toppled to the jungle floor where they continued to spit and crackle as they burned.

The young monkey panted as she picked herself up and gazed at the charred remains of the once-proud Tiki totem. Suddenly, she realised that the area was darkening, and looked around to see the fires in the eyes of the ring of Tikis going out. One by one, the figures extinguished their flames and crept back into the trees where they disappeared. Soon, Dixie was alone once more.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

That's right! I'm back! **I sincerely apologise** for the long time since I last updated this story. Life got busy with uni and work. But playing DKC2 for about the 100th time the other day inspired me to come back and finish off this chapter. The story will continue.

Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9: The Approaching Storm

**Chapter 9: The Approaching Storm**

* * *

Maku and his underlings marched their prisoner through the snow, not slowing their pace for anything. They were all used to long marches like this. Nadhi, however, could not see through the bag over her head, and often stumbled on rocks and other unseen obstacles. Her captors showed no pity, and roughly pushed her forward, startling her back into motion.

Nadhi strained at the ropes that restrained her hands behind her, but they were far too tight. Her sword, knife and shurikens had also been taken off her. Icy weights wrapped themselves around her heart as she realised that there was no way out of this situation.

* * *

Diddy slumped back against the icy rock wall of the mine, letting weariness overtake him. He was sitting on a platform below the place where he and Nadhi had been ambushed recently. Casting a sidelong glance at the shuriken still sticking out of his shoulder, gritted his teeth and mentally prepared himself.

This was going to hurt.

After the ninja had hit him with the shuriken, knocking him off the scaffolding, Diddy had fallen several feet through the icy air. Despite the pain in his shoulder, he looked around desperately for anything he could use to stop his fall. Luckily for him, there were several ropes nearby that must have supported some sort of elevator and pulley system. Diddy thrust both his hands forward and grabbed for the nearest rope. With the nimbleness of a monkey, he swung through the void and onto a small platform below.

Now that his life was no longer in immediate danger, and the adrenaline was wearing off, the pain in his shoulder was making itself more and more well-known. He tore off a strip off his red shirt and stuffed it in his mouth, biting down firmly on it. He then placed a hand on the shuriken.

_Damn ninjas…_

His cry of pain was muffled by the strip of cloth in his mouth as he pulled the sharp projectile out of his body. The white-hot stab of pain was thankfully gone quickly, only to be replaced by a throbbing sensation. He looked over to see blood flowing from the wound. Using his teeth and free hand, he quickly wrapped the strip of cloth over the wound tightly, closing it as best he could and stemming the flow of the blood. Aside from the pain radiating out from his shoulder, Diddy counted himself extremely lucky. The outcome of the situation could have been much, much worse for him.

He was tempted to rest, if only for a few moments, but then remembered Nadhi at the mercy of the other ninjas.

_I have to go and help her!_

Diddy tested his shoulder and found that, thankfully, he could still climb. Without a second to waste, he started back up the mine-shaft after the others.

He climbed, making his way up to the top of the mine as fast as he could. He fervently hoped that Nadhi was still alive. He presently passed the platform that they had been attacked by Maku and the others, but saw no one there.

_They must have moved on._

With grim determination, and renewed hope of his new friend's well-being (for now, anyway), the young monkey pushed on. He had already lost Dixie. He was not about to lose Nadhi as well.

* * *

Icy winds buffeted Maku, Nadhi and the others as they trudged through the snow. The gales played prelude to an approaching blizzard – the winds brought down snow in diagonal sheets, as the sky darkened rapidly to a very deep blue – almost black. All four ninjas shivered bitterly with the cold. Nadhi trudged forward with her head bowed in sorrow. Mri, her teacher, was dead. And now Diddy as well...

Without warning, one of the Nanji monkeys grabbed her by the crook of her arm and stopped her. The group had come to a halt. Maku grinned as he saw flickering lights from a number of torches in the gloom of darkness and billowing snow ahead. The faint outline of a large stone building was barely visible.

"The temple," one of his underlings said with satisfaction. He smiled smugly and turned to address the prisoner. "Your retribution is nigh, sister."

Nadhi stood with rigid dejection. She would die soon, but she had come to accept it.

Maku brought his face close to the black bag covering her head and spoke softly. "Will you beg for mercy? Though you cannot see it, there is a ravine to your immediate right. If you request it, we will cast you in."

She said nothing. She was going to die, but was not about to forsake her honour.

"Think about it," Maku continued. "You will be spared the humiliation and mockery of being marched to your execution, through a crowd that hates every fibre of your being. I am willing to extend to you this one mercy."

There was a moment of silence, save for the howling wind, before Nadhi turned her head to where she knew her captor was standing. "Wow, you really love the sound of your own voice, don't you?"

Maku roared in anger and backhanded her across the face through the bag, causing her to cry out in pain. She staggered to one side, but managed to stay on her feet.

* * *

Icy winds bore down on Diddy as soon as he emerged from the mine-shaft, causing him to gasp in shock. It was immensely cold outside – much more so than inside the cave. The monkey wrapped his arms around himself in a futile bid to retain warmth as his teeth chattered uncontrollably. He looked around for any signs as to the direction in which the others had travelled, but the snow had long since covered their tracks. There was nothing to be seen in any direction except for blinding sheets of snow, darkness and –

_Wait, what is that?_

Diddy cupped a hand above his eyes and squinted, his face crackling with snow already encrusting on it. There was a warm orange glow, just barely visible, far ahead in the darkness.

_The Nanji Temple! That has to be it!_

Diddy set off into the blizzard, moving as fast as he could. He fervently hoped that he could make it in time to help Nadhi. Otherwise...

His thoughts were interrupted by a screech overhead. It was loud, frightful, and all too familiar.

"Oh, NO!" he screamed, throwing himself to the side to barely avoid being caught in the razor-sharp talons of a huge vulture.

The Necky screeched in anger and pulled up for another pass. Diddy watched it carefully, waiting for another attack. However, the big bird just flapped its wings and hovered in the air above, as though the gales did not even bother it.

_What is it waiting for...?_

At that moment, Diddy ducked and threw himself into the snow as the talons of a _second_ Necky brushed just overhead. Although the he managed to avoid being grabbed, the claws of the vulture scraped down his back, leaving three nasty gashes, and causing him to cry out in pain. Trying his best to ignore the throbbing sensation down his back, he rose to his feet to keep visual contact on his enemies. The two vultures flew to opposite sides of him, forcing him to constantly look in opposite directions to see what both of them were up to.

The wind howled fiercely as Diddy desperately searched for an escape route. He spied something out of the corner of his eye – a narrow crack in the ice just a few feet away. It ran all the way to a cliff-edge, but did not seem to be too deep. Maybe, just maybe –

At that moment, both Neckys acted at once, diving at him with frightening speed. Without hesitation, Diddy threw himself forward and dove headfirst into the trench. He tumbled forward and landed in a pile of snow that had gathered at the bottom. The crack was narrow, and just deep enough for him to stand up in.

The vultures squawked in fury overhead, moments before thin, needle-like claws began scrabbling through the crack above and closing in vice-like grips, trying to impale the primate's head. He ducked as low as he could and ran headlong through the trench, making sure to stop and crawl when a talon jutted into the crack overhead. His plan seemed to be working so far – the vultures were following him toward the cliff-edge.

The abyss came up with shocking suddenness, and Diddy had to abruptly stop before he threw himself over the edge. Flurries of white snow howled past – the only thing to be seen in the darkness. The sound of flapping wings could be heard, and he looked up to see the dark shape of one of the Neckys coming in for another pass. He waited tensely until the last millisecond, and then jumped back as the vulture thrust one of its talons through the opening in a vain attempt to snare him. The bird hissed in frustration, and turned to fly away from the cliff.

It never expected – not in a million years – to feel a dull weight dropping onto its back and gripping tight with two hands and feet. The vulture squawked and nearly fell out of the sky in surprise, before flapping its wings and righting itself. The small monkey steadfastly clung to its back for dear life.

"Get off my back, vermin!" the Necky screeched, turning in a rapid loop in an attempt to throw Diddy off. He grasped the vulture's feathers with both hands and feet, causing the big bird to cry out in pain.

"I'd suggest not trying that again, unless you want me to pull all of your feathers out!" he shouted over the roaring wind.

"Laugh it up, land-walker," the Necky hissed in anger. "You've just made your last mistake!"

"And you've made yours, by trying to eat me! I'll steer us into a cliff. I'm not afraid to die, so long as I take you with me!"

"You don't have the guts."

Diddy responded by gripping the feathers on the bird's right wing and pulling up roughly. The Necky screeched in pain and swerved to the left, dangerously close to a cliff.

"S-stop!" it cried.

"Only if you listen to me," Diddy said with grim determination. "See those torchlights in the distance? What can you tell me about the people who are there?"

"Not much! We never fly close – we always get shot at by arrows if we do."

"Okay, I need you to drop me off there."

"No way I'm taking _you_ anywh – " the Necky cried out in pain as its passenger yanked on its feathers again. "I can't get close enough! I'd get shot down!"

"Fine," Diddy replied. "Just drop me off as close as you can. _And_ somewhere where there is tree cover from _you_."

The Necky seethed with anger, but had no choice but to concede, banking in a lazy arc and flapping toward the lights in the distance.

"Well, well, what do we have here!" a voice rasped from somewhere above them.

Diddy looked up to see the Necky's companion flying alongside them, shaking visibly with laughter. He regarded the other bird's wicked-looking talons fearfully.

"Looks like you've got a parasite hanging off your back!" it continued. "I wonder what your mate will think of that!"

"Get him off!" Diddy's unwitting steed croaked.

The other Necky seemed to regard them for a moment, before flying overhead for a better view. "Hm, I think I'll let it be. I'm actually enjoying this. It's like dinner and a show!"

"Great," the first vulture hissed. "You've just made me the laughing stock of my entire flock."

"So sorry," Diddy snapped sarcastically. "Just keep on flying."

"Just you wait. I'm going to tear open your belly and make you watch as I feed your entrails to my young one-by-one!"

* * *

Nadhi closed her eyes against the sudden onrush of light as the bag was removed from her head. She gazed around to see that she was standing in a cold stone building, slick with ice. A number of torches provided poor light.

"This way," Maku said, jerking her forward by the crook of her arm.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Fate has been cruel to us, sister. There are not many of us left."

Whatever Nadi was about to say next froze in her throat when they came before a great wooden door.

Maku turned to the other two ninjas. "Leave us be. This matter is between Raine and Nadhi."

They nodded respectfully, turned and walked away. Without another word, Maku pushed the door open and dragged Nadhi through into a large, wind-swept chamber to face the new leader of the Nanji clan. A loud, clear voice rang out.

"Ah, Nadhi. How good of you to join us."

* * *

AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:

Thank you all for the lovely comments so far. Important plot points will be revealed in the upcoming chapters.

Also, I went back over my old chapters and edited them, making the whole story flow a bit better. It is just a habit of mine.

As always, reviews are appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10: Most Revered of the Nanji

**Chapter 10: Most Revered of the Nanji**

* * *

The howling wind swept through a high opening into the inner sanctum of the ancient temple as Maku hustled Nadhi across an ancient stone walkway over a gaping ravine in the floor. An altar loomed at the far end, as well as a large and bulky monkey with pale fur, dressed in black garb, gazing at them with an amused expression on his face.

Nadhi and Maku halted before him, the latter taking a respectful bow. "Master Raine."

"Maku, your tracking skills are truly exceptional. You will be rewarded." The pale monkey looked down at the second sword and knife in his underling's possession. "Those are her weapons?"

"Yes, master."

"Give them to me."

Maku complied, handing over Nadhi's katana and knife to the pale-furred monkey, who appraised them with great interest. All the while, their prisoner stood in silence, glaring at him.

"Nadhi, it is good to see you again," Raine said. "It appears that you have managed to maintain your weapons with exceedingly good care, despite your questionable living circumstances in the woods for the past month." He smiled. "Your skill and determination are attributes that have been missed around here."

"Unfortunately for you, your treachery has not," Maku said to her.

"Leave us," Raine said immediately. "You may wait outside – I wish to speak with her alone."

The other ninja hesitated for a moment, before taking his leave.

"I apologise," Raine said, placing the weapons down on the floor. "I trust he has not handled you too roughly?"

Nadhi said nothing.

"I understand your anger with me," he continued. "But I assure you, actions were only taken against Mri under dire circumstances." His voice hardened considerably. "When we landed on this island under my navigation, everyone was happy – except Mri, who was uneasy and paranoid. When he found out where we were, he ordered for us to take to the boats and leave immediately! After our hardships at sea, he was going to condemn us to them again!"

Nadhi frowned. "Why would he be so scared of this place?"

"Because of what lies beneath," Raine replied. "You see, I guided our clan to this island for a very specific reason." He regarded her for a moment. "I will tell you everything."

* * *

Diddy ran through trees, being sure to look up every now and then to check the skies. The Necky had been so "kind" as to drop him off in a thick patch of pine trees, where he had been able to quickly lose the bloodthirsty vultures.

Now that his life was no longer in immediate danger, he took a moment to survey the nearby stone building. The architecture looked as though the Nanji clan had made their home in an abandoned sun temple. The blizzard severely reduced Diddy's visibility, but he could still make out several sentries walking along the perimeter of the wall. How on earth was he going to sneak inside?

He noticed flickering torchlight coming from high up on the stone building – a wide opening to the sanctum. He recalled ancient history classes at Kong College about temples devoted to the sun gods, which involved prayer whenever the morning sunlight came through such openings to light the inner sanctums of their temples.

_Thank you sun gods,_ Diddy thought grimly.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place – he wanted to avoid confrontation with skilled ninjas, which would most likely lead to his death. However, to do this, he would have to make an arduous and extremely perilous climb up the side of the temple in the middle of a blizzard.

Some choice.

He looked around briefly, before making a break for the base of the sanctum spire, knowing that there was virtually no chance of being seen, courtesy of the billowing snow from the blizzard. He made his way around to the leeward side of the building, out of the worst of the wind, and then began to climb.

Diddy scaled the wall quickly, keeping his eyes on the flickering torchlight high above. He had no idea what would be waiting for him inside, assuming that he did not lose his footing and fall to his death. He gritted his teeth and blocked out such counterproductive thoughts.

* * *

"You're going to tell me everything?" Nadhi said angrily as Raine looked away. "Why don't you start with how you could kill Mri, our master?"

"It was not an easy decision. But one I would make again in a heartbeat, to secure our place in the Two Islands." He turned back to face her. "Why do you think we came to this island, of all islands? Mri knew about the legend for a long time, and yet he did nothing!"

"The Two Islands?" she murmured. "What are you talking about?"

Raine chuckled darkly. "I suppose I should not be surprised that you do not know – even though you were Mri's top student, it is a dark period of history that he would have preferred to keep buried. And look where _that_ got us."

With these words, he turned and pulled out a very old scroll. Nadhi's eyes widened as the parchment was unfurled and held out in front for her to see. It was an ancient drawing of two islands side-by-side, balancing on a see-saw.

"There is an identical scroll like this – no doubt in the Kremlings' keeping, if it has survived the ravages of time. They are, in some ways, twins." Raine pointed at left-most mountain depicted in the ancient drawing, and then waved his hand in a wide gesture. "Just as _this island_ also has a twin."

She was startled by the revelation. DK Island had a "twin"? Another island that it was somehow connected to?

He tapped four circles depicted below the right-most island. "There are four Chambers deep below the sea that the Kremlings are endeavouring to raise. It is by no means an easy task, but they are… tenacious, to say the least."

"And these Chambers rising from the ocean are the cause of all the seismic activity?"

"You catch on quick. You're not just a pretty face." Raine winked at Nadhi as he said these words, causing her to scowl in response. "In case you were wondering, the reason that these Chambers are so far down is because the second island sunk below the sea."

Her apprehension grew at an exponential rate the longer she listened to this ridiculous story. "An entire island sunk below the sea? Really? What caused it?"

"Who knows? The gods? Freak tsunami?" He shrugged dismissively. "All we know now is that the island has risen from the sea again, and it all happened when the Kremlings raised three of their four Chambers."

She frowned, trying to take all this information in. The Kremlings had raised the second island from the sea by activating those mysterious Chambers. One of which had caused the eruption of the volcano that had destroyed her home… She looked closer at their depictions below the right-most mountain. In the middle capsule, there was a scribble which was hard to read. She squinted, trying to make sense of it –

"It says 'Sacrifice'," Raine said, noticing where she was looking, "meaning that a blood payment has to be made from the heart of the enemy for the power transfer to take place."

"A power transfer…?"

"Yes. You see, these two islands lie on sacred ground. The mystical energy that flows through the very earth is shared between the two islands. It is a tenuous balance – if the see-saw rises in one direction, it will fall in the other."

Nadhi snorted in derision. "So if one island gets dunked under the waves, the other one becomes, what, all powerful or something?"

"Yes," Raine said, bringing his face in close to hers. "That is _exactly_ what will happen." He carefully rolled the scroll back up. "You see, dear sister, the very ground on which we stand right now is threatened. If the Kremlings manage to complete their sacrifice, then this island will sink into the sea. And those monsters will be bestowed with unimaginable power."

She gasped in horror and tried to turn away when he drew a long-bladed knife and came at her. She squeezed her eyes shut and mentally prepared herself when he grabbed her shoulder – but no pain came. She opened her eyes to see him resting the knife-blade on her shoulder.

"The war has resumed, Nadhi, after generations of dormancy. You are a skilled ninja – a warrior. It would be a terrible waste for you to lose your life on the wrong side. So will you join us in our fight?"

She stared into the eyes of her captor for a moment, and then spat in his face. "I will never join _you_."

Raine roared in anger, shoving her backward. "You would defy me?"

"Too right I would!" she yelled. "You killed Mri, our teacher! You would turn against your own kind, and for what?" She nodded at the scroll in his hand in disgust. "Some ridiculous ghost story? You are a disgrace."

Raine had clearly lost his patience and drew his sword. "If you insist on being put to death, then I shall oblige. I had hoped that you would put aside your misplaced loyalties for the weakling Mri, and stand beside your brothers. But I guess I was wrong."

At that moment, he felt a hard blow from a sword-hilt to the back of the head and collapsed to the ground, his katana skittering away and over the edge, into the ravine below the altar. Nadhi gasped in surprise to see Diddy standing behind Raine's prone form, holding her katana.

"Diddy!" she cried out in surprise. "You are alive! But how? And how did you get in?"

He pointed up toward the opening near the ceiling. "Sunlight isn't the only thing that can come through there." He quickly ran behind her and used the sword to cut the rope binding her hands, before passing it over to her. "I'm just glad I got here in time."

"I am glad you are not dead," she replied, smiling at him gratefully.

The loud bang of the wooden door drew their attention, and they looked over to see Maku entering the room, surprise and anger in his face. Diddy redirected his eyes toward a groan from the floor to see Raine groggily rising to his feet.

Maku drew his katana and pointed it at Diddy. "Back from the dead, I see? It is becoming a habit for you, isn't it?" The ninja cocked his head to one side and smirked. "Like a cockroach."

"I will handle him," Nadhi said quietly to the Kong, retrieving her knife and raising her katana.

"That's fine by me," he muttered, turning to face Raine. "Not so tough without your sword now, are you?"

The pale-furred monkey laughed. "Do you think I require a weapon to annihilate you?"

At those words, he launched himself at Diddy, delivering a left hook to the monkey's face, catching him off guard. Diddy recoiled, gasping in pain and shock. He growled, raised his fists and threw a punch at his opponent, who nimbly dodged and blocked the blow, before delivering a swift kick to his midsection. He gasped as sharp stab of pain shot through his ribs, bringing him to his knees on the ground.

"It appears that your new friendship is misplaced," Maku said to Nadhi as he walked across the narrow stone walkway. "He is every bit as weak and useless as he looks."

"He knows how to handle himself," she spat, walking across the walkway to meet her opponent in the middle. "And you are not without misplaced allegiances. I have looked into Raine's eyes, and seen the resolve of one who is obsessed. He will not hesitate to sacrifice you, and everyone around him, to achieve his ambitions."

"Then that is the mark of a leader we need."

The two ninjas faced each other, the deep chasm on either side of the walkway stretching away into the shadows. Nadhi raised her katana, but hesitated.

"Brother, please. I do not wish to fight you. My loyalty is still to the Nanji clan."

"Do you take me for a fool?" Maku hissed. "You have pledged your allegiance to the wrong side in this war, and now it is too late for you to realise the error of your ways."

The flash of his katana was all the warning Nadhi had to raise her sword to block the blow with a loud _CLANG!_ Maku wasted no time and pressed on the attack, lunging for his opponent's left side with a sharp thrust, followed by the right. Nadhi dodged both blows with nimble side steps, before counterattacking with a lightning-fast lateral swipe that just about took off Maku's head, had he not ducked.

* * *

A pained grunt escaped from Diddy as he was dealt a crushing blow to his stomach, Raine smiling smugly at him as he doubled over.

"I take it you are one of the Kongs, the dominant clan of this island?"

"That's right!" Diddy growled.

He blocked a blow aimed for his face, and surprised his opponent by diving into him, knocking them to the floor. The two monkeys rolled on the ground, stopping dangerously close to the edge, before Diddy delivered a punch to the pale monkey's face. He raised his arm for another punch, but felt the wind knocked from his lungs when Raine delivered a kick to his chest, sending him flying off. They both clambered to their feet.

Diddy saw his opponent's hand shift, and immediately leapt to the side in half-twist to avoid being struck by a whirling shuriken. "Where is your honour?" he exclaimed.

"My honour is not in question here. What _is_ in question is how slowly I will kill you."

* * *

The clash of steel reverberated through the air as two ninjas fought against each other, their katanas only visible as whirling flashes. Nadhi spun through the air, bringing her sword around in an arc that was barely blocked. She followed through with a series of slashes, but Maku expertly repelled each blow, before thrusting his sword at her face. She jerked her head to the side to avoid a fatal wound, but still received a scratch across her cheek.

"I see you have improved," she said, falling back to a defensive stance.

"Much more than you think," Maku replied, jumping forward.

He lashed out at his opponent with a flurry of blows, delivering each one harder and faster than the previous. Nadhi's footwork saved her, stepping back and deflecting the attacks with impressive skill. Just as Maku raised his katana over his head with a loud yell, she swiped her sword sideways and disarmed him with shocking suddenness. His eyes widened in surprise, just before Nadhi punched him in the nose, and then the ribs, sending him doubling over.

"It is over, brother," she said.

However, Maku drew his long-bladed knife and lunged at her once more. However, she dodged nimbly to the side and caught him in a chokehold, tightening her grip immediately. He gasped and flailed around, trying to twist around to stab her. However, she maintained her grip, and his struggling gradually diminished. He finally slumped forward, unconscious, and Nadhi released him to the floor with a sigh.

Her attention was drawn toward the sound of a loud yell, and she looked forward to see Diddy tackle Raine, the two monkeys tumbling toward the edge of the altar platform.

"Diddy!" she cried out, rushing forward.

The Kong grappled with the leader of the Nanji clan, both glaring into each other's eyes with blazing hatred.

"Your pathetic kind will be extinguished from this island like an insignificant candle in the darkness," Raine spat. "Soon, you will all feel my wrath."

"Not… if I have anything to do with it…" Diddy hissed through gritted teeth.

Surprise spread across both monkeys faces as they felt the edge of the platform to the side, but it was too late to recover. With yelps of terror, they lost their balance and teetered over the edge. Diddy opened his mouth to yell, but felt his fall abruptly arrested. He looked up gratefully to see that Nadhi had grabbed hold of his arm.

"Hold on…" she grunted.

"Thanks for saving my life!" he gasped. He planted his feet against the rock and, with his ally's help, climbed back up onto the platform.

"You fools!" came an outraged cry from below them. They both peered over the edge to see Raine hanging onto a jutting outcrop of rock above the ravine that stretched away below him. He glared at them with a fierce intensity. "You have defied the Nanji clan for the last time! Our vengeance will be terrible."

Before either of them could reply, the sound of the door opening drew their gazes. Past the unconscious form of Maku, they could see four more black-clad monkeys entering the chamber, wielding katanas. They had obviously come to investigate all the noise.

"I think it's high time to get out of here!" Diddy cried, pulling Nadhi toward the edge of the room. "I climbed down over here – we can escape from here as well!"

They both began to scale the rough walls of the temple's inner sanctum, making for the opening high above. Fortunately, the four other ninjas ran over to the altar to help Raine rather than pursue them. After several minutes of climbing, they clambered over the wall and back out into the roaring wind outside the temple.

Nadhi could scarcely believe what was happening. Only minutes ago, she had been waiting for her death. However, she was now running for her life from the monkeys she had once called members of her clan. Her new friend had risked everything to come and help her. And because of him, she was _alive!_

Diddy led the way toward a thick patch of trees, and hopefully out of the sight of the Nanji sentries. They ran for several minutes after that, before allowing themselves to stop and catch their breaths. The wind was bitterly cold, but the blizzard appeared to be diminishing in its intensity. They listened for the sounds of pursuit, but fortunately no one appeared to have followed them.

Nadhi breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Diddy, thank you... for saving my life."

"Don't mention it – " he started to say, but fell into a surprised silence when she threw her arms around him, drawing him into a tight hug. He returned the hug, enjoying the warmth of the embrace.

The two monkeys hugged for several minutes, listening to the sound of the wind around them. Presently, Nadhi turned her face toward Diddy's. He looked at her in confusion. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and then she kissed him. Diddy's mind whirled in shock for a moment, but he closed his eyes and began to return the kiss.

However, his thoughts instantly conjured the sight of Dixie… The brave, young and beautiful monkey smiling, laughing with him, giggling as she paddled in the sparkling waves. He remembered the determination in Dixie's eyes when she agreed to come with him to Crocodile Isle to rescue DK. They had been together every night – keeping watch in the mines, keeping each other warm in the ice caverns, and keeping each other company everywhere else.

He broke the kiss with Nadhi and turned his head away. She let go of him and stepped back. Nothing was said, but Diddy could tell that she was hurt.

"Nadhi, I'm sorry," he said softly. "But this isn't right."

She turned away from him. "It is Dixie. You love her, don't you?"

He was taken aback by her words. He knew that he cared about Dixie. He cared about her a lot. She was one of the most important things in his life. But did he love her? After a few moments, he knew his answer. "Yes."

Nadhi sighed. "I understand."

Diddy walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I hate to hurt you like this, but – "

"It's okay," she replied, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. "I'll be fine."

* * *

An hour later, the pair was holed up in yet another ice cave, with a small fire going. Nadhi lay down next to the fire, and suddenly realised how tired she was, having not slept properly in two days.

"The others of my clan are still out there," she mused. "We can take turns resting and keeping watch."

"Sounds good to me," Diddy replied. "I managed to sleep a little bit back in the mine, so now, it's your turn. I'll take the first watch."

An hour later, his compatriot was curled up in front of the fire, fast asleep. He watched the entrance of the cave, his thoughts clouded with fatigue. However, he had to keep himself awake. He thought of Dixie, and fervently hoped that she had managed to make it Funky's workshop safely. Although it had been less than two days since they last seen each other, he already missed her terribly.

Diddy's thoughts were troubled by what Nadhi had told him regarding the Two Islands. In all the years he had lived on DK Island, he had never realised that such an ancient power ran through the very soil. Truthfully, it scared him. Nadhi did not appear to believe the story, but really, what else could be causing all the earthquakes?

He resolved to wait until the blizzard passed, and then to go and find Dixie. Everyone would need to work together through this crisis. He only hoped he was not too late – that she had not already taken off in Funky's plane.

Diddy's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of shuffling feet nearby. He looked up and saw a dark figure outside approaching the cave entrance, and he jumped to his feet in alarm.

"Who goes there?" he challenged.

The figure stopped just outside the cave, still shrouded in shadow. It was too dark outside to make out any features of the intruder. Was it another ninja tracking them? Or something worse?

Finally, the figure stepped into the firelight and spoke. "Well, well, what do we have here?"

Diddy's eyes widened in shock. "_Cranky?_"

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Thank you all for the patience in waiting for this chapter. My muse has been all over the place – bouncing back and forth between my various different fics.

I hope that this chapter was up to scratch, and worth the wait. For anyone who has missed the Kremlings, they will be re-entering the story very soon, which I am looking forward to writing about.

Reviews are always greatly appreciated, so please take the time to leave one.


	11. Chapter 11: Cranky's Conga

**Chapter 11: Cranky's Conga**

* * *

Aside from the howling wind outside the cave, the silence was absolute as Diddy stared in shock at the old ape, hunched over on two canes in front of him.

"What the heck's the matter with you, boy?" Cranky Kong snapped. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"W-We thought you were gone," he stammered.

"Gone?"

"Kidnapped! Captured by the Kremlings!"

"Me? _Kidnapped?_" The elderly ape raised one of his canes threateningly, and Diddy took an involuntary step back.

At that moment, his compatriot awoke and drew her katana. "Stay back!" she warned, rising to her feet.

"Nadhi, wait!" Diddy said, his hands spread wide in a placating gesture. "He's a member of the Kong family."

"The eldest and most respected member, thank you very much!" Cranky grumbled in a disgruntled tone. "I saw firelight flickering in this cave, but you two were the last things I expected to find." Both primates lowered their respective weapons, although he still eyed Nadhi suspiciously. "And who are you? You're with those ninjas I've seen all around the island lately, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," she replied guardedly.

"It seems we have some things to discuss." Cranky turned and shuffled out of the cave. "Follow me."

"Where to?" Diddy called, but the old ape had already disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Against the moonlit landscape, three figures could be seen traversing the tundra. After a while, Diddy spied lights in the dark – the outline of a ramshackle old cabin. Its roof and windows were encrusted with ice and snow, and icicles hung down from the eaves. However, a warm glow could be seen behind the windows.

"So you've been up here the whole time?" he mused presently. "But Dixie and I thought you had been kidnapped by the Kremlings."

"Ha!" the old ape scoffed. "Those mangy buccaneers couldn't kidnap the likes of me! I was out taking a walk and came back to find my hut trashed. Figuring something fishy was up, I made my way up to the safe-house here."

"You climbed all the way up here by yourself?"

"Are you doubting my ability, boy?" Cranky grumbled. "Why, back in my day – the golden age of video-gaming – I was the chief villain of Jump Man – "

"You mean Mario?"

"Whatever! I'm the main star here, and you're all just my supporting cast!"

The young monkey opened his mouth to retort, but fell silent when the door opened, revealing the last person he expected to see. In the foreground of the light coming from inside of the cabin, a lithe, graceful and pink-clad figure could be seen, her long blonde ponytail falling across her back.

"Diddy, is that you?"

"Dixie!" he cried, scrambling up onto the porch and enveloping her in a strong hug. They spun around, revelling in the joy of seeing each other safe and sound. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Nadhi's downcast gaze and felt a twinge of guilt.

"Diddy, little dude!" came a familiar voice.

He looked to see a bulky ape standing just inside the doorway, without his shades on for a change. "Funky! Man, is it good to see you!" He broke the hug with Dixie but held onto her shoulders. "But what are you two doing up here?"

"We came to find you," she replied, looking away shyly. "I realised..."

Her voice broke off, and Funky cut in. "We flew over the glacier looking for you, and saw the lights from this cabin. We then found ole' Cranky here instead. We were going to wait until morning to go looking for you."

"Come on then!" the old ape muttered, ushering them inside. "I'll put the kettle on, I suppose. Make you lot some tea. And then you can all start talking – why are there volcanoes exploding everywhere, and why are those blasted Kremlings back?"

* * *

Maku fell to one knee and bowed his head shamefully. "I am sorry, Raine. We could not find them. The blizzard has made tracking them all but impossible."

The leader of Nanji clan clenched his fists. "The traitor must have gone to warn the Kongs. Nadhi is no longer one of us. If you see her again, kill her on sight."

"Yes, master."

Raine turned to leave, but paused when he heard his underling speak up suddenly timidly, "What about the Lost World?"

"Nothing has changed," he replied, turning. "Even if the Kongs know, they cannot stop us. We will win this battle." He placed a reassuring hand on his underling's shoulder. "I have not come this far to fail, and to see our clan become extinct."

* * *

When Diddy finished his story, bringing everyone up to speed, Cranky sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Pah! This story's even worse than DKC2! Ancient powers, sacred ground – what is this rubbish? Seriously, what terrible writer have they recruited for this?"

Dixie, on the other hand, was visibly shaken by the news. She and Diddy had experienced the terrifying wrath of the Kremlings' Chambers twice already. She frowned. Something about the story bothered her. Something she could not quite put her finger on…

"Well, it looks like this whole thing is deeper than anyone expected," Funky commented.

Cranky turned and rounded on Nadhi. "If it weren't for your lot showing up, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Leave her alone," Diddy said, immediately coming to her defence. "It's not her fault."

The elderly ape was momentarily surprised at the backbone the whippersnapper was showing – answering back to him! But the audacity! His hand twitched toward his cane.

"From what you've told me, the Kremlings' ship has just sailed out," Funky spoke up, defusing the situation. "I've added a few extra features on my Biplane Barrel since you saw it last. With a couple of extra barrels of fuel stored onboard, it should be able to make the trip to DK and back," he announced proudly.

"But what about the Nanji clan?" Diddy asked. It was not that he did not want to go and rescue his best friend, but there was already so much going on. He wondered if he and Dixie would have an island to come back to.

"We'll handle those interlopers," Cranky replied curtly.

"And I will help you," Nadhi said respectfully. "My people have brought their war to your shores. It is the least I can do."

It was at that moment that something dawned on Dixie: _her problem with the story_.

"It's DK!" she exclaimed, causing everyone to turn and look at her. "DK is the sacrifice," she explained. "The 'heart of the enemy'. If they bring him to the fourth Chamber, this island is going to sink below the sea."

The gravity of the situation appeared to sink in at that moment.

The thought of his friend – at the mercy of the pirates and on his way to certain death – hardened Diddy's resolve into iron will. He looked directly at Funky. "As soon as the sun rises again, we're setting out."

The ape nodded in agreement, while Dixie clenched her fists tightly at her sides.

Cranky was looking them over shrewdly. He recalled a similar situation – when Diddy had insisted on going to rescue DK from K. Rool instead of paying the villain's ransom demand. Back then, the young monkey had been eager, but timid – full of self-doubt. It was the first real adventure where he was the star of the show.

Déjà vu flashed over the scene – here the young whippersnapper was again, about to set out on another dangerous adventure, with infinitely more at stake. And yet no self-doubt or second-guessing marred the boy's face.

Perhaps he was growing up.

"So it's settled, then," the elderly ape said, pushing away from the table. "You three had better get back safely from this, and bring back that good-for-nothing grandson of mine."

Diddy nodded resolutely. "I'll bring him back, you wait and see!"

"And we will stop the Nanji clan from claiming your home," Nadhi said determinedly, donning her black face-mask again. "I swear it."

"We have some terrain to cover," Cranky said, turning to her. "We'd better get going now." He looked over at the three other Kongs, ready to venture into unknown waters. "You lot can use this cabin and rest up for the night." With a final nod, he left through the door.

"Good luck," the ninja said to the others softly, and then followed. She had made it to the edge of porch outside when she heard Diddy's voice behind her.

"Nadhi, wait."

She turned, and the two looked at each other for a moment.

"No matter what happens, I just want you to know how much I care about you," Diddy said softly.

"And I you," she replied.

The two monkeys embraced each other once more.

"Take care of yourself."

"Do not worry," the ninja replied, smiling. She looked over her shoulder at Cranky. "I will have a friend with a light to show me the way."

"Come on, then!" the 'friend' in question snapped. "I ain't getting any younger!"

Nadhi giggled as she disengaged herself, and then trudged over to join the old ape. They wandered off into the frozen night together, and were soon lost from view.

* * *

A little while later, Funky's snores filled the cabin, the lanterns long since extinguished. Diddy tossed and turned in his cot, the pitiful blanket doing little to stave off the cold.

"Psst, Dixie," he finally whispered into the dark. "Are you awake?"

A beat passed, before the whispered response came. "Yes."

He gripped his blanket tightly, listening to the creaks of the cabin as it was buffeted by the glacial winds. "I… I'm really glad you're okay."

There was a short silence, before he heard the sound of Dixie's nimble feet hitting the floor. "Come on," she said, grabbing his arm and dragging him out of bed. "Let's go out onto the porch."

"Outside into the cold?" he could not help but blurt out. "Are you mad?"

Although it was dark, he knew his compatriot was rolling her eyes. A moment later, they were standing on the porch, looking out across the moonlit peak of the island.

"What were you going to say before?" Diddy finally asked. "Why did you come to find me? What did you realise?"

"I realised…" Dixie paused, and then smiled. "I remembered what a great team you and I made when we journeyed to Crocodile Isle to rescue DK. It was so dark and gloomy and dangerous there." She directed her piercing green eyes at him. "I haven't told you this before, but I was really scared there. All the time."

"Scared?" he scoffed. "No you weren't –cracking heads and jokes. You were so strong-willed and brave – it's the reason that DK and I returned from that place at all."

Dixie shook her head in apparent irritation. "You must stop selling yourself short, Diddy. You were my rock on Crocodile Isle. I was always looking to you for my strength. When we were attacked by Zingers in Crocodile Cauldron, when we dodged all those traps that K. Rool set for us in his keep, when we fell asleep together in the bramble forest…" Her face blushed at that, and she looked away.

The two stood in silence for a moment, listening to the whistling of the wind.

Finally, Diddy tilted his head toward her. "Dixie, I'm sorry that things got so messed up between us."

She pursed her lips, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth. "Me too," she answered at length.

He came over and wrapped his arms around her body to help keep her warm, but was taken aback when she stepped forward out of his embrace. After a moment of awkward silence on his part, he tried to express himself again.

"Dixie, what I'm trying to say is..."

She turned and gazed at him silently, but Diddy found he was unable to get the right words out, and looked down at his feet in embarrassment.

"It's okay," she finally said gently. "You don't have to say anything."

Her old boyfriend looked back up in surprise. "Huh?"

"What I mean is that we're about to embark on a dangerous mission, and we can't afford distractions." She shot him a playful smirk. "Besides, with what we're about to walk into, a relationship should be the least of your worries."

"But – "

"Look, Mr Hotshot," she said playfully. "I don't want all this angst when we cracking Kremling skulls together. I want my friend by my side – the same friend who I relied on back then, and who I trusted with my life." Her expression turned serious. After a beat, "Can I trust you on this adventure, Diddy?"

"Yes," he answered without hesitation.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Well, well, it's been a while, hasn't it?

All I can say is 'I'm sorry' x 1000 (to you guys, the readers, and to Diddy and Dixie for neglecting their pixelated awesomeness).

The truth is that my muse hasn't visited DK Island in a while. But I seem to have hit a writer's block for my _Coraline_ and _Corpse Bride_ stories, and so here I am!

We are also now (finally) at the end of Act I, and ready to begin Act II. Expect pirates, dungeons, danger, swashbuckling action, and some (hopefully) witty humour to help it all go down easier.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, so please take them time to leave one. See you next chapter!


	12. ACT II: Chapter 12: Gavial Galleon

**ACT II: The Return**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Gavial Galleon**

* * *

The vast blue ocean stretched out in all directions – an endless blue expanse of water that sparkled in the late-afternoon sun. Scores of seagulls squawked as they dove into the rolling blue waves in a bid to catch food. In the bright blue sky above the waves, a beat-up old barrel with wooden wings and a wooden propeller trundled along, jolting up and down with a kick of the engine every now and then.

"Do you see anything yet?" Diddy asked, poring over a map of the ocean and nearby islands.

"Not yet!" Funky called over his shoulder.

The inventive ape was hunched over the tiny control console and peering through the tiny viewing ports of the Biplane Barrel. The roar of the single propeller at the front reverberated throughout the 'cabin'. For their part, Diddy and Dixie were squeezed into the extremely cramped space behind the pilot's chair, sitting on the floor. There were many canvas bags, stuffed with who-knew-what, lying scattered everywhere, or tied off and swinging overhead.

They had set out from the snow-capped peak of DK Island at dawn, soaring east over the ocean, and spent most of the trip in a tense silence, only speaking to give flight bearings or lookouts.

Diddy stood on a wooden peg just below the top end of the Biplane Barrel, which he had opened to expose the sky. He stood up straight on the peg, looking over the top of the barrel and swung a spyglass around, ignoring the wind whipping into his face. All he could see in every direction was the endless ocean.

He was beginning to feel anxious. What if the Kremlings' ship had not continued on its eastward bearing? Or what if the flight path on their part was slightly off? They would never catch up to them.

Funky had tried to calm him down, pointing out that the pirates had caught the weekly Eastern Gale, and could not deviate much from its course for at least another day. He eventually gave up after a couple of hours of this – if the stubborn monkey refused to see reason, then that was his problem.

Dixie had been sitting in a contemplative silence for the past hour, idly tracing her finger along the trigger of her peanut popgun. Her expression was one of quiet determination.

"Are you okay?" Diddy asked from above. He replaced the top hatch of the Biplane Barrel and climbed down from the perch to sit down beside her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, giving him a strained smile.

He gave her a frown. "Come on, Dix. Talk to me. What's on your mind?"

She sighed as she glanced around, brushing a stray lock of blonde hair out of her eyes. "It's just… everything is moving so fast. You, Funky and I are chasing after the Kremlings again, DK is set to be sacrificed, and our homeland is at war. It just seems like yesterday that the biggest problems we had were keeping Gnawties out of the tree-houses, getting out of Kong Kollege in time to meet Funky at the beach for the morning swell, our relationship problems – " Her emerald-green eyes widened when she realised what she had said.

She looked away, while her former boyfriend flushed red with embarrassment. A moment of awkward silence passed between them, before Diddy found his voice.

"Everything will be okay. We're going to get DK back and get out of this in one piece. We have to."

* * *

Later on, the darkened indigo sky was streaked with crimson and pink clouds, and the sea was an endless expanse of inky blackness. It was early into the evening, and the sun had just sunk below the horizon when it happened

Dixie, who had been on lookout at the top hatch of the biplane, excitedly lowered the spyglass. "I've found it!"

The others immediately perked up.

"Really?" Diddy said, clambering up to join her at the hatch, the evening sea-breeze blowing into his face. "Where?"

Dixie handed him the telescope and he looked through it to see the twinkling lights of a ship in the distance. The pirate galleon, where the Kremlings were keeping his best friend prisoner to sacrifice him…

"Funky, don't get any closer," he instructed. "We can't alert the lookouts in the crow's nest."

On his instructions, the ape banked the plane into a wide circle in place. Winds buffeted the outside, but the aircraft was sturdier than it looked. He gestured for Diddy to come over and take the controls while he moved into the very cramped back compartment.

It was Dixie who asked the million-dollar-question. "So how are we going to get close enough to the ship to board? It's not like we can swim from this far out."

"Glad you asked, Dixie-dude," Funky said, rummaging through the cluttered mess of supplies behind the pilot's seat and pulling out a very familiar barrel.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me," she groaned.

"What?" he said in a slightly offended voice, brushing aside a swinging bag.

"Don't you remember how well that thing worked last time?"

"What?" Diddy called from the front. "What is it?"

Dixie pinched the bridge of her nose irritably. "Funky wants us to ride his Rocket Barrel again." She levelled her piercing green stare at the simian in question. "Assuming that thing doesn't malfunction and crash into the ocean, how do you expect us to even get close enough? The jet engine you put on it is really loud and noisy. And besides – it's probably going to malfunction and crash into the ocean!"

"Ah-ah, that's where you're wrong," he shot back, attaching a high-tech looking… gizmo to the exhaust of the jet turbine. There was really no other way to describe it. "This muffler will help reduce noise from the engine to virtually nothing. Trust me, I've tried it. And if you two monkeys cruise in soon, under the cover of darkness, there'll be no problem. _And_ I got a chance at Cranky's cabin to tinker with the engine, and I fixed the problem that caused us to crash in Typhoon Lagoon."

"But have you actually _tested_ it?" the girl put forward, her tone of voice making it abundantly clear how much she distrusted the Rocket Barrel.

"Of course not. That's what you and Diddy are for."

"…I hate you sometimes."

"For the record, I don't like this plan either," Diddy said, glancing over his shoulder from the pilot's seat. "But we don't really have any other options here. We're too far out from DK Island to get any help from Enguarde or Squawks. We're on our own out here."

Aside from the roar of the biplane's propeller, silence fell over the cabin for the next few moments as they pondered their other options. As much as she hated to admit it, Dixie knew that he was right.

She turned and jabbed an accusatory finger at Funky. "If your rocket sends us spiralling into the ocean to our deaths, I'll never speak to you again… Obviously."

He just grinned in response and lifted the Rocket Barrel. "Let's get this baby fired up, shall we?"

* * *

Ten minutes later, the sky had darkened considerably, stars beginning to twinkle overhead. In that time, Funky had the Rocket Barrel set up and ready to go, having given his friends a crash course in its operation.

"Aim to land in front of the galleon," he was saying.

"What about your rocket?" Diddy asked.

Funky shrugged. "I can always make another one." He turned and jabbed a finger at the map spread out at their feet. "There's a small uninhabited island a little ways east from here. While you two take the Rocket Barrel and board the ship, I'm going to land there and wait for your signal." He stood back and gave them a two-fingered salute. "Good luck, and try not to die."

"Very encouraging," Dixie muttered, shoving her peanut popgun into the pink sash tied around her left thigh.

Diddy strapped a larger holster around his stomach, just below his red shirt, which held his popgun, as well as two single-shot flare guns. That done, the monkeys climbed onto the Rocket Barrel while Funky pulled the cord to kick-start the engine and stepped back. With a sputter, the Rocket Barrel shot up through the top hatch and out of the Biplane Barrel!

The large wooden aircraft fell away from the rocket as it rose in a vertical climb, before Diddy guided it into a horizontal flight-path.

The dark ocean sparkled in the moonlight below them, and the lights of the pirate ship quickly grew nearer and nearer. The muffler seemed to be doing its job – the roar of the engine reduced to a muffled growl. If they flew far enough away from the ship, there would be virtually no chance of it being heard. Dixie held tightly on to the side of the barrel, a myriad of bad outcomes running through her head. Fortunately, none of them happened, and the Kongs carefully guided the Rocket Barrel past the galleon, keeping far enough away to avoid being seen by lookouts.

When they were far enough in front, Diddy carefully steered it into a shallow dive and cut the engine, sending it plummeting into the dark ocean. As soon as it hit, he yanked a cord to detach the sinking engine, allowing the barrel itself to float to the surface, the two soaked monkeys still clinging to it.

"What do you know? It worked," Dixie said in relief, as the barrel rolled and rocked in the waves.

"Yep. And now we play the waiting game," Diddy replied, looking back toward the ship cutting through the waters toward them.

They did not have to wait long. Very soon, they abandoned the barrel and swam below the bow of the ship, reaching out and grabbing onto the wooden hull. The pair carefully climbed up the side of the ship, over a cannon and were soon peering over the railing. The darkened deck was mostly empty, but there were several sentries walking around, carrying lanterns.

"I think it'll be safer if we stay off the deck," Diddy whispered, to which his friend agreed.

With that, the primates nimbly climbed and clambered their way along the side of the ship toward the stern, their feet never actually touching the deck. Suddenly, the bright yellow glow of a light appeared above them, and they immediately pressed themselves against the hull of the galleon, hoping against hope that the Kremling did not decide to look over the side.

For several agonising moments, there was nothing to be heard, aside from the crashing of the waves and whistling of the wind through the ship's rigging.

"Looks like the Chomps are out," the harsh, grating voice of the Kremling above them finally said.

"Do they make for good eating?" another voice could be heard calling from across the deck. "I'm sick of maggoty bread."

"Nah, shark meat is tough and chewy," the first voice answered, sounding more distant as its owner walked away. "We could catch 'em for shark fin soup, but that's just incredibly cruel and wasteful…"

"Aw, we got a bleedin' heart over here," a third, deeper voice mocked.

Dixie sneaked a glance over her shoulder into the dark water below them and saw what the pirates had been talking about: the triangular shapes of several dorsal fins could be seen knifing through the moonlit ocean. The sight of which suddenly made their precarious position – hanging off the side of a pirate ship gliding through shark-infested waters – all the more precarious.

She _really_ did not like sharks.

"Can we climb up now?" she asked in a small voice.

Diddy shot her a look, which implied he was wondering whether her sanity was still intact. "There was a sentry right above us before."

"Well he isn't there now!" she hissed back in a panic.

"If they catch us, they're just going to tie us up and throw us into the ocean with the sharks anyway," Diddy pointed out.

Dixie begrudgingly saw his point and took a deep breath to calm herself. She opened her eyes and nodded. "Okay, I'm fine. Let's keep going."

He tipped his red cap in response, and then led the way across the side of the ship toward the stern. No more Kremlings looked over the side, thankfully, and the Kongs were soon peering cautiously over the back railing of the galleon. The intermittent glow of lanterns could be seen across the ship, some held by sentries, others hanging from the rigging. But for the most part, the deck was cast in darkness, spurring the two monkeys to slip carefully on-board and then dash past the wheel, down the stairs and into the nearest doorway.

They found themselves standing in a dim wooden corridor, the ship creaking as it rocked. There were no Kremlings in sight.

"Okay, what now?" Dixie whispered.

"DK is probably being kept in the brig, or somewhere in the hold below deck," Diddy mused. "We have to find some stairs leading down."

"Into the belly of the beast," she muttered to herself, adjusting her pink beret.

The pair crept slowly through the wood-panelled hallways, ducking into side rooms whenever they heard footsteps. Most of time, they found themselves inside storage rooms, with crates and barrels of supplies and provisions. However, one such trip brought them into a dark barracks, with many hammocks strung between walls and posts. Snores could be heard drifting through the air, intermingled with the creaking of the ship, and the two intruders carefully slipped carefully back out again.

After some time of this they came to a junction of hallways. Loud raucous laughter and the clinking of bottles and clunking of tankards could be heard coming from a nearby doorway, where light spilled out from. It sounded like there was a party going on in there.

"That's got to be the galley," Diddy whispered, and then turned and pointed down the interconnecting corridor. "I remember seeing some stairs this way…"

His memory and sense of direction proved correct, and the pair soon found themselves at a wooden staircase. Looking up, they could see the stars and sky through a hatch at the top of the stairs. However, they went in the opposite direction, making their way down the stairs into darkness.

The cargo hold they came into was a large and darkened space, filled with barrels and crates. However, one piece of cargo immediately caught their attention. It was a tall cage with vertical iron bars, its door sealed with a skull-shaped padlock. Its occupant: a large gorilla with a red tie, looking tired, seasick and altogether miserable.

"DK!" the monkeys exclaimed together, rushing forward.

The ape looked up wearily and his face lit up. "Diddy! Dixie!" he said, gripping the bars of his cage. "What are you two doing here?"

"What does it look like?" Diddy said. "We're here to rescue you!"

The look of gratitude that spread across DK's face was warm and genuine. "Little buddy… I don't know where I'd be without you."

However, the reunion was cut short by the sound of running footsteps. Moments later, three pirates emerged from around a stack of crates, looking shocked at the scene before them.

"I'll raise the alarm!" one of them shouted, turning tail (literally) and running away up the stairs. Dixie watched him go with a sinking feeling in her chest.

The remaining two Kremlings drew flintlock pistols from their belts and opened fire at the simian intruders, who in turn took cover behind a nearby barrel and returned fire with their peanut popguns.

"Go!" DK shouted. "There are more coming down the stairs!"

"Stop firing, you idiots!" one of the arriving buccaneers yelled. "You might hit and kill the big Kong!"

The sounds of swords being drawn rang throughout the room, and then the group of Kremlings rushed toward their enemy, yelling battle cries. However, their progress was arrested by a meaty and furred arm battering them aside like limp ragdolls. The ones in the back looked in shock to see the large gorilla in the nearby cage flailing his arms through the bars, cutting off their approach.

"GO!" he roared to his friends. "I'll hold them off!"

"No, we're not leaving you!" Diddy shouted back.

"There are too many of them, and you can't open this cage without a key!" DK slammed his fist into a sly Kremling who had tried to sneak past him, sending the unfortunate individual flying across the room.

The red-capped monkey felt his former girlfriend tugging on his arm, pulling him away. "He's right," she said, her voice strained. "We have to get away for now."

As much as he hated to admit it, he knew she was right. They had been so close… "We'll come back for you!" he shouted back to DK. "I promise!"

He and Dixie turned and fled through the hold, weaving through a maze of stacks and barrels and crates, finally coming to another staircase that led upward. They clambered up, ran through a short corridor and rounded a corner to see a staircase leading up to the deck of the ship. The only problem was three green-skinned Kremling pirates who stood in the way, levelling muskets at them.

"Look out!" Dixie yelled, yanking Diddy back around the corner by the scruff of his shirt.

The wooden wall behind where he had been standing a second ago was shredded by musket balls. Diddy recovered, grabbed a nearby barrel and swung back around the corner. The pirates were in the middle of reloading, and thus unable to stop him from hurling the barrel at them with all his strength. Two of them cried out and threw themselves out of the way, but the one in the middle was too slow, and the rolling barrel bounced and struck him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

The other two Kremlings scrambled on the floor for their weapons, but were promptly knocked out by the two Kongs, who sped back around the corner and cartwheeled into them. They ran past the unconscious pirates, up the stairs and back out onto the deck of the galleon. Shouts sounded as they were spotted.

"Quick! Up into the rigging!" Dixie cried.

They both began to climb up the mainbrace mast, shimmying up ropes, and scurrying across sail-posts and yardarms. A quick glance down confirmed that several Kremlings were climbing up the shrouds and rope ladders after them. One such party was about to reach them, bloodlust in their wild eyes.

"Jump!" Diddy shouted, his tail poised as he leapt for a nearby rope dangling down from the mainbrace.

His friend followed suit and the rope swung off, circling around the mast. However, another loud yell drew their attention to an orange Kremling, with a green bandana tied around his head, swinging toward them on another rope, holding onto it with one hand, while his other grasped a sword.

Dixie held out both of her feet as they came together, managing to kick him off his rope before he could cut theirs. The cutthroat shrieked as he hurtled down toward the deck below.

"Nice one!" Diddy said in encouragement.

With the nimbleness of, well, of monkeys, they climbed the rest of the way up the swinging rope to find themselves nearing the crow's nest. Where they could go from here was still a work-in-progress in the escape plan.

However, said plan was stopped cold as they found their way forward barred by three more orange Kremlings, hanging in the rigging above, brandishing rapiers at them, while a fourth aimed a flintlock pistol at them.

"Bonjour, little fleabags. No more moves, or we cut you down from here." The one holding the gun nodded his long scaly snout at the ship deck far below. "And it's a long way down, oui?"

Their terror became extreme when, without warning, the pirates leaped down and knocked them off the mast! They screamed as they fell, but, instead of being met with a hard, unforgiving surface, they rebounded off a tarp, being held by several Kremlings on the deck, like a trampoline. They shrieked as they were thrown back up into the air several times, much to the pirates' delight and amusement.

"How high d'you think the fur-balls can fly?"

"You reckon I can shoot 'em both in one bounce?"

"Pull!"

Fortunately, the Kremlings decided not to use them for target practice, but they did drop the tarp, allowing the Kongs to fall painfully to the wooden deck. They were immediately seized by the scaly cutthroats, held in place by dozens of rough hands.

"Well, well, what have we here?" a high, cold voice said, drawing everyone's attention. There came with the steady _CLOMP_ of what sounded like a wooden leg.

The Kongs looked toward the stern of the galleon, where a very large, very familiar and very unwelcome Kremling was walking down the stairs toward them. He held a lantern, casting a glow over his gleaming teeth and dark-green scales. A peg-leg hung down where the stump of his left leg ended.

"Kaptain Kraft! We've secured the intruders!" a large grey Kremling shouted.

"Kraft?" Diddy exclaimed. "_You're_ Kaptain Kraft?"

"Indeed I am, boy!" the big Kremling boomed.

"So it's _you_!" he snarled, struggling against the hands that held him. "_You're_ the one who's leading the Kremlings and trying to destroy DK Island! You already destroyed the Nanji clan's homeland, and now they're waging war on my people!" The rage that coursed through his body only made him struggle harder, but there were too many pirates holding him in place.

The Kremling leader – Kaptain Kraft – eyed him in disdain, before balling a fist and punching him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. He gasped in pain, but the crowd surrounding him held him in place, stopping him from going down.

"Leave him alone, you coward!" Dixie shouted.

She cried out when one of the Kremlings behind her yanked brutally on her blonde ponytail. A beefy hand came around her throat, forcing her to stare up into a pair of wild eyes, gleaming with malicious intent.

"I lost my leg because of you," Kraft growled, his acrid breath wafting into her face. "I haven't decided how I'm going to pay you back for that yet, but just know that I can get… creative."

"Stop, don't hurt her!" Diddy pleaded, causing laughter to ripple throughout the reptilian crowd around them.

The huge Kremling released his grip on the schoolgirl's neck and turned to face the other troublesome monkey again. "For your information, I couldn't care less what happens to your pathetic spit of an island. But _my_ master is particularly fond of the idea of watching it sink into the ocean. Not to mention the sacred power that our island will receive as a reward." He eyed his captives down thoughtfully. "And I'm pretty sure he'll be happy to see both yer heads on pikes as well."

Dixie gulped, eyeing the glittering sword hanging from his belt.

"Perhaps you know of whom I speak," the captain said, rising his full height and looking pointedly at Diddy. "An old enemy of yours."

The monkey in question did not answer, glaring back in defiance.

"You are both fools," Kraft said, turning away. "I have nothing more to say to you."

As he walked away, the large grey Kremling took his place and began barking out orders to the crowd around them.

"Seal them both in barrels, and store them below in the hold!"

Diddy tried to struggle, but the pirates holding him in place were far too strong. He could only watch helplessly as Dixie was roughly pulled away from him by her hair. The Kremlings bound her feet together and her hands behind her back. She was then picked up and dumped unceremoniously into a barrel.

"NO!" she cried out, but her voice was cut off as the top of the barrel was put in place.

Diddy felt coarse rope being coiled around his wrists and ankles as well. He turned his head sideways and saw that a similar barrel was being prepared for him. He then looked forward to see a Kremling wielding a rifle approaching him.

"Your turn," the pirate hissed, before reversing the rifle and slamming the butt into his face. Everything went dark.

* * *

The hours spent in the cramped darkness of the barrel seemed to blend together for Diddy. The ropes that bound him seemed to tighten, the cramping of his limbs worsened, and his throat felt dry and constricted from lack of water. Sleep was very hard to come by.

Altogether, what would have normally been a miserable experience was made worse by his thoughts.

He had failed.

He could not save DK, he had gotten himself captured, and, even worse, he had allowed Dixie to be captured as well. They were all at the mercy of the Kremlings now. And their homeland remained in peril.

If only Cranky could see him now. The old ape would probably berate him – call him a useless failure, a disgrace to the Kongs. And he would be right.

He was not a hero.

Diddy's miserable thoughts were interrupted by the sound of two sets of footsteps approaching his barrel. Moments later, a hard kick from outside sent it toppling over onto its side, rattling its occupant. The top was cracked open, Diddy's eyes squinting as they adjusted to the dim light.

He was pulled bodily from the barrel and hauled to his feet, before a canvas bag was thrown over his head, blackening his vision once again. His hands were left tied behind his back, but the bonds around his feet were cut, allowing him to walk.

"Should we get the big one too?" one of the Kremlings rasped.

"Are you crazy? Let the massive gorilla out of his cage? No, it's the only the little ones the Kap'n wants."

Diddy was marched through the cargo hold by the two Kremlings and shoved roughly up the stairs to the deck, his disabled vision causing him to miss many a step and stumble. When he came out onto the deck of the ship, judging from the stream of indignant snarls and curses to his right, he could guess that Dixie was receiving similar treatment. The calls of seagulls drifted in the air as he was pushed down the deck of the ship and up some more stairs, to what he guessed was the stern.

The stifling bag was unceremoniously yanked off his head, and it took his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the light. Beside him, Dixie looked equally disoriented. The sky was a creamy kind of pre-dawn colour, lightening as the sun approached on the horizon.

Dixie struggled with the ropes that bound her hands, her fingers flexing uselessly. Her popgun had been taken off her, and she could see that Diddy's equipment had been taken as well. Her silent contemplation of their predicament was interrupted by Kaptain Kraft turning his attention from the ship's wheel to them.

"Did you two have a nice nap?" he said mockingly. "Well, don't get too comfortable – we'll be making port soon."

The Kongs turned and looked beyond the bow of the ship to see that they were indeed approaching another island. A very tall island. An enormous and terrifying island.

"Wait for it…" Kraft said to the other Kremlings present.

The island looked terribly familiar… It couldn't be…

"There it is! Your faces – that is _priceless_!" Kraft exclaimed.

All of the pirates surrounding them roared with laughter.

"B-But… how…?" Dixie whispered. "It sunk below the sea…"

"Yes, I thought you'd recognise it," the captain said, gesturing a scaled hand behind him. "Welcome back to Crocodile Isle."


	13. Chapter 13: Return to Crocodile Isle

**Chapter 13: Return to Crocodile Isle**

* * *

In the murky sea around a mysterious island, polluted with flotsam and jetsam, a lone pirate galleon sailed forth, its scallywag crew preparing to make port. The azure colour of the ocean turned to a dark and almost green colour, polluted from the factories of the Kremlings. The very sky above the island seemed smoggy, mirroring the sickly green colour of the water.

Crocodile Isle.

The Kremlings' homeland. The large island consisted mainly of a single mountain. The port proudly sported several formidable-looking sailing ships, the wrecked ones that had once filled it presumably washed away when the island had sunk into the sea. A steep pass led from the port up to a densely forested region, many of the gnarled and twisted trees missing their leaves. One had to remember that, up until recently, the island had been underwater. Near the top of the mountain, the forest ended, making way for bare rock and, eventually, snow. At the top of the snowy peak stood a castle – an enormous, terrifying and familiar keep.

"Weigh anchors and ready the lines!" Kaptain Kraft bellowed to his crew as his ship neared the port.

A couple of pirates grabbed Diddy and Dixie's arms and roughly manhandled them down the stairs from the stern and to the main deck. A little while later, the galleon was secured at a dock and several gangways were laid down. The simian prisoners were roughly pushed across and set foot onto the dock of an island they had hoped to never see again. A group of four Kremlings guided them along the rotting wooden planks and onto a murky beach, its coarse sand littered with broken planks, discarded barrels and crates.

A roar of fury caught the monkeys' attention, and they turned to see DK's cage being wheeled off the ship. "Diddy! Dixie! Are you two alright!" he shouted, rattling the bars of his cage.

Both of them gingerly nodded, at a loss of what to say, given that they had failed him.

"You'd better say goodbye to your lug-nut friend!" one of their handlers scoffed. "You're never going to see him again."

Dixie took note that he was wearing Diddy's utility belt. "That's what you think," she said, just loud enough for Diddy to hear.

He took comfort in her strong will and determination. "We're coming for you, DK," he called. "I promise."

Before the ape had a chance to answer, the four Kremlings shoved Diddy and Dixie, pushing them into walking up some stone steps which led further up the hill. The light from the sun filtered through the murky air above the island as the monkeys were marched up a winding stone pathway toward a grim-looking building, constructed of rough, uneven stone.

The Kremlings guided their captives into the entrance, the dreary sunlight being replaced by torchlight from intermittent brackets along the wall. The Kongs were marched past several barred cells, most of them containing a ragged-looking Kremling. The reptilian prisoners began to rattle their bars, and a terrible cacophony of noise rose up as the simians walked past.

One of them reached out through the bars and grabbed Dixie's ponytail. She cried out in pain as she was dragged toward the prison cell.

"Let go of her!" Diddy shouted angrily. He shot his tail through a gap between two bars, wrapped it around the offender's neck and roughly slammed him face-first against the bars. The Kremling slumped forward in his cell, unconscious.

"Keep moving!" one of the guards barked from behind them, shoving both of the monkeys forward.

The deeper they made their way into the prison, the further their hopes sank. Diddy figured his was somewhere around the base of his toes when they finally arrived at a steel door. There were no windows or bars or anything.

The two monkeys were pushed through into a fairly large and grim stone dungeon and left alone, the metal door slamming shut behind them. Chains hung down from the ceiling, what looked like a rack sat against one wall, and a small, shallow pit of _spikes_ was located at the far end of the room.

Dixie's eyes widened as she took in the dungeon, her anxiety rising as she imagined what horrible tortures awaited her and Diddy.

The other monkey in question stood and looked at her in concern as she looked around the stone chamber. He hated the fearful expression manifesting itself on his companion's face, because, truth be told, he was feeling just as scared as her. But most of all, he hated Dixie's face missing its usual smile and cheer.

"Hey," he said softly. "I promise you that we're going to get out of this."

"How?" she asked, hating how her tone lacked its normal confidence.

"Funky knows something is wrong by now. And he knows the direction in which the pirate ship was sailing. He'll be able to find this island."

The girl smiled softly at his words, and she felt a little better, if only by a very tiny margin. The two young monkeys took what comfort they could in each other's presence. At that moment, Dixie very much wanted to hug her friend, but with both of their hands tied behind their backs, the best they could manage was to gently nudge each other with their shoulders.

The gesture was appreciated nonetheless.

Before another word could be said, the metal door banged open again, and in marched two pale-red Kremlings, followed by the hateful, hulking figure of Kaptain Kraft. Dixie shrank back in fear. Diddy did not even get the chance to turn around before he felt a crushing blow to the back of his skull. He momentarily saw white spots in the darkened room before he lost consciousness.

"Diddy!" Dixie screamed, rushing forward, but she was held back by one of the Kremlings.

"Take him to the other cell," Kraft ordered the other one. "The Kaptain wants to speak with him personally."

The reptilian pirate gulped and nodded, slinging the unconscious monkey over his shoulder and leaving the room, the door slamming shut with a definitive, resounding boom. Dixie wondered if she would ever see that door open again.

"Sorry, lass, but your boyfriend has a meeting to attend," Kraft sneered.

Without warning, he balled a meaty fist and punched her in the stomach. The pink-clad simian gasped in pain and surprise as she slowly dropped to the floor. She curled up into a foetal position as she struggled to catch a breath.

"Gods, I'm going to enjoy breaking you," Kraft's voice rang above her head.

* * *

DK awoke to darkness. The shadows were so deep, he could not see past the shaft of light he was cast in. He did not know where the murky sunlight was coming from, but the source looked like it was high up. He struggled to move his limbs, but discovered that his arms were chained above his head. His body was suspended just high enough above the floor to prevent his feet from touching the ground. His wrists were immensely sore from supporting his weight, and his hands no longer had feeling in them.

"_Ehehe..._ Seems like the ape's awake," spoke a deep voice from the darkness.

There came the clicking of a tongue nearby, and, abruptly, a pair of small, four-legged, blue and red-mottled crocodilian creatures came bounding out of the shadows, eyes wide and full of bloodlust, and large mouths full of glittering teeth. Before he knew what was happening, DK cried out in pain when the Klampons bit into his feet, their teeth sinking into his flesh. He struggled to shake them off, but that only made them bite harder.

After some time, the pain shooting from his feet throughout his entire body, the small Kremlings suddenly relented and released him, backing off and sitting down on their haunches.

"Donkey Kong," the voice continued, echoing throughout the darkened room. "It's so good to see you again." The voice appeared to move, as though the unseen speaker was pacing around. "Do you feel the blood running down your feet now? That is just the beginning. Oh yes, much more blood will flow..."

"What are you talking about?" DK growled, a sinking feeling in his gut as he began to draw conclusions as to who his tormentor could be.

"It turns out that your worthless hide is actually worth something," the speaker mocked. "Once the Core has been raised, and you are dead, the Kremlings will reign supreme."

Before the Kong could answer, he heard the clicking of a tongue again, and the pair of Klampons immediately bounded forward and sank their teeth into each one of his calves.

"ARRRGHHHHH!" he roared in pain. "STOP!"

"...Why?" the voice rasped again, this time almost right next to his ear.

The gorilla did not answer, choosing instead to turn his head toward his tormentor in the darkness. All that he saw were two yellow-glinted eyes. The left one appeared swollen, bloodshot, and slightly larger than the other.

* * *

Pounding pain.

That was Diddy's first thought when he came to. It felt as though someone had taken his head and stomped on it repeatedly. The clinking of chains caught his attention, and he slowly opened his eyes and warily looked up. He was standing spreadeagled and shackled to a wooden crucifix in the middle of a dungeon, similar to the one he had last seen Dixie, complete with a menacing pit of spikes at the far end. His arms and legs were chained to the wooden frame, forcing his limbs into an 'X' shape.

Panic seized him, and he spent the next ten minutes fighting desperately against his restraints. The vain struggle ended when he slumped back against the crucifix, exhausted. A miserable whimper escaped from his lips before he could stop himself.

"What delightful sound is that reaching my ears?" the familiar, harsh and grating voice of Kaptain Kraft echoed across the chamber. "Are you breaking? Finally?"

Diddy miserably lifted his head to see the huge Kremling entering the dungeon, followed closely by a peg-legged prison guard. However, it was the third intimidating figure that entered behind them, the largest of the three, who seized the monkey's attention immediately.

_"You!"_ he spat.

The figure wore a long dark-red overcoat, held together by a skull-shaped belt. His sickly-green scales shone in the torchlight of the dungeon, as did the dagger-like teeth protruding from his short, stubby snout. Below a black and gold-trimmed captain's hat were two terribly familiar reptilian eyes, one of which was bloodshot, and slightly larger than the next.

Kaptain K. Rool grinned wickedly. "Diddy Kong. What brings you back to my island? I must say, I'm surprised to find you all the way out here." Abruptly, his smile faded, his eyes narrowing in anger. "And after all the trouble you went to, the last time you were here, to sink my island into the sea."

The archenemies found themselves recalling the same events: the climatic duel between them in the 'Lost World', and the strange, otherworldly volcano at the heart of Crocodile Isle erupting, sending the island plummeting into the depths.

"How are you doing it?" the red-capped monkey said quietly. "How did you raise Crocodile Isle? How are you destroying DK Island?"

"Perseverance," the reptilian captain replied, striding forward to stop right in front of the wooden cross. "Our two islands are connected, after all. I simply chose to take advantage of it with... perseverance." He eyed his captive silently for a moment, seemingly appraising him. "It's a quality you seem to have as well. To think that, back then, I never would have expected a moronic little pest like you could ever come to Crocodile Isle and hope to defeat _me_, and yet you did."

Diddy said nothing, glaring up at his captors.

"Then again, I wonder why you channel such determination into a borderline suicidal drive to rescue that mangy gorilla friend of yours," K. Rool said as he paced around the crucifix. "What are you trying to prove to him? That you're some kind of big hero? Or maybe you're trying to prove it to yourself?"

Kaptain Kraft snorted at this. "The only thing you've done is further proven how weak and useless you are. You aren't a hero. And now your pathetic attempt to be one has gotten your pretty girlfriend into hot water as well."

The hardened look in the monkey's eyes faltered as he pondered their words.

"Oh yes, once the preparations for raising the Crocodile Core are complete, that pesky little schoolgirl and I are going to have some _fun_ together," the peg-legged commander continued. "After all, she does owe me for my leg." With that, he walked out of the chamber, cackling to himself.

K. Rool was about to leave as well, but then, as an afterthought, turned back toward Diddy, his bloodshot eye right in the monkey's face. "An eye for an eye, as they say," he hissed dangerously. "You will live to see your island destroyed. Only then will you know what it feels like, and only then can we truly be seen as equals."


	14. Chapter 14: An Unexpected Meeting

**Chapter 14: An Unexpected Meeting**

* * *

Nadhi kept watch amongst the branches of a vast oak tree, on the eaves of one of the many forests on DK Island, shivering slightly with the cool, crisp pre-dawn air. As the sky slowly began to brighten, she pulled on her face-mask and crawled across the branch to awaken her companion. The skinny old ape grumbled and rolled around in his sleep as she shook him lightly on the shoulder.

"Wake up, Cranky," Nadhi said softly. She yelped and jumped back in surprise when one the ape's canes swatted her across the nose. "Hey!"

"You should know better than to wake an elderly ape when he's sleeping," the man in question grumbled, pulling a pair of half-moon spectacles from the pocket of his green vest and putting them on.

"But you _asked_ me to wake you up at dawn!"

Cranky ignored her at first, peering through his spectacles at the vast, tall oak and pine trees of the forest around them. Being further up on the slopes of the Monkey Mountains than Vine Valley, the air was cooler and cleaner. The forest floor far below them was covered in dead leaves, bushy foliage and fallen trees.

It had taken the mismatched duo all of yesterday to climb down from the Gorilla Glacier to this seemingly enchanted forest, but they still had a long way to go to get to their destination.

"We have to leave soon. Let's climb down and have some breakfast," he grumbled. "The other Kongs will be gathering in Kongo Jungle, and we have quite a long way to go."

"Before we go, I would like to check out this forest," Nadhi put forward. "There may be others of the Nanji clan still loyal to Mri who may be willing to help us."

"What do you mean?" Cranky snapped.

"Raine and Maku carried out a coup when they killed Mri. His successor was supposed to be Todo, a skilled and respected warrior amongst our people. Before I went into isolation in Vine Valley, Todo made this forest his home, and told me to come to see him if I never needed anything. I am certain that he and the other ninjas are still here." _Assuming that Raine and the other Nanji have not killed them already,_ she told herself.

"I don't think we can afford the time," her compatriot finally said.

Nadhi turned and rounded on him. "You cannot keep deluding yourself that your clan will be able to win this fight! The Nanji clan is skilled and resourceful, and we are going to need all the help we can get."

Silence fell as the pair eyed each other down, neither giving an inch.

After a while, Cranky spoke, "Do you know where this Todo is?"

Nadhi nodded. "The last time I saw him, he was living in a temple in this forest."

The ape nodded slowly. "I know what you're talking about. The forest temple is not too far from here." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I suppose we can go and have a look, but this had better not be a waste of time."

A little while later, the pair was sitting at the base of the tree, their food provisions spread out before them. There was not much left.

"Tell me, Nadhi, do you know what a 'Super Guide' is?" Cranky said conversationally.

"No," she said tiredly as she used her knife to cut up a mango.

"I didn't either, until those mongoloids at Nintendo offered me the gig in that 'Donkey Kong Country Returns'," the old man said, his tone souring. "Can you believe it? If the player dies enough times, the game _plays itself_ and _completes itself for them_! Pah! Kids these days..."

"I agree, they don't know what truly excellent games are anymore," Nadhi replied.

"Exactly!" Cranky exclaimed, taking a piece of fruit she offered him. "I told them I'd take the Super Guide job, but only if I was allowed to insult the player's skill, intelligence and physical appearance while I completed the level for them. But they didn't like that idea."

The ninja giggled slightly at that, but then paused and stiffened when she heard something rustling in the bushes.

"And where is the sequel to this 'Donkey Kong Country Returns', hmm?" the old ape continued, not noticing her change in behaviour. "The title would imply that it is returning. Are they going to wait another fourteen years before making the sequel – ?"

His rant was interrupted when Nadhi leaped forward through the bushes, slashing the branches away with her knife. There was a cry of surprise when she drove her shoulder into something soft, knocking the offender to the forest floor.

The ninja found herself pointing her long-bladed knife down at a small girl. The monkey was wearing a white shirt, blue overalls with a white flower imprinted in the centre, and white shoes. Underneath a multicoloured beanie hat, two long blonde pigtails flowed out.

"Who are you?" Nadhi demanded, placing her foot on the girl's stomach to hold her down.

"Let me up!" she growled, struggling.

"Not until you answer my questions," she shot back, although she relaxed her grip on the knife slightly. The little girl did not look all that dangerous.

She was proven very much wrong in the next instance when said girl grabbed her leg and twisted it, causing the ninja to cry out in pain as she was thrown off. She stumbled to the forest floor but nimbly jumped back up to her feet, ready to fight off this offender. However, she stopped short when she found herself held in the sights of a small handheld crossbow.

"Not another move," the pigtailed monkey said, smirking. "Now it's time for you to answer _my_ questions."

"Tiny Kong! You young whippersnapper, put that thing down before you hurt someone," came Cranky's irritated voice as he shambled out of the trees.

The girl in question did a double-take, looking back and forth between Nadhi and the elderly ape. "You two know each other?" she asked, hesitantly lowering the crossbow. "Squawks and his flock have been flying around the island, giving us warning that DK Island was under attack from the Kremlings and the Nanji clan." She shot Nadhi a suspicious glare at this last statement.

"I do not agree with their actions," the ninja said indignantly. "And I'm not the only one."

"She has agreed to help us," Cranky said to Tiny. "And what are _you_ doing all the way out here anyway?"

She was caught off-guard by the question. "I... came to look for my sister," she finally said. "Squawks told me that he last saw her in this general region."

"You know that you should be gathering with the others in Kongo Jungle when the alarm is raised," the old man snapped. "And Dixie isn't here anymore – she went off with Diddy and Funky to rescue that no-good grandson of mine from the Kremlings."

Tiny was taken aback by the news. Although her relationship with her older sister was somewhat strained, worry flooded through her. "They went off on their own? Where to?"

"I don't know! And we've got enough problems of our own here, girl! We're trying to muster our allies. Speaking of which, you haven't seen Rambi's clan anywhere, have you?" When the girl shook her head, he sighed. "Well, you'd best come along with us. The island was dangerous enough before this war broke out..."


	15. Chapter 15: Dungeon Danger

**Chapter 15: Dungeon Danger**

* * *

In a deep dungeon in the Kremlings' grim prison on Crocodile Isle, Diddy slumped back against the crucifix he was chained to, his head bowed forward in sorrow and exhaustion. Although Kraft and Kaptain K. Rool had left quite some time ago, leaving a sickly-yellow Kremling in the cell to guard him, their words still cut into him. It _was_ his fault that Dixie was here, facing torture and death at the hands of these monsters. The sight of her face, wide-eyed and terrified, lingered in his mind's eye.

Diddy lifted his head and his eyes narrowed as a hardened resolve filled him. He may not be a great video game hero like DK, but he had a duty to his friends. He was _not_ going to give up and abandon them. He would get them all out of here, or die trying.

"Hey, ugly!" he shouted at the yellow Kremling, his voice echoing across the dungeon. "Was your mother sick all over your scales when you hatched? Because it sure looks like it!"

"Shut up, you little pest!" the prison guard snapped back.

"Why don't you make me? Better yet, release me from this crucifix and I'll rub your snout into the ground myself!"

"I have a better idea," he growled, a sly smile spreading across his face.

Diddy tensed when he saw the crocodilian pirate coming for him. This was it.

However, the Kremling did not unchain his limbs from their spreadeagled position. Instead, Diddy gasped in pain when the guard punched him in the face. He could feel the blood rushing to his cheek where the reptile's fist had connected. Before he could get a hold of his ringing head, there was a blow from the other side, jerking his head to one side.

"Got anything else to say?" the guard taunted. He scoffed when he received no response. "That's what I thought."

However, when the he turned away, his prisoner quickly lashed out with his tail and snagged the key-ring from his belt. The simian figured he had maybe ten or so seconds before the Kremling reached the door and realised that his keys were missing. Sweat beaded on Diddy's lip and he curled his tail around the key-ring as though it was his last lifeline, because it really was. Not to mention that his tail was rather clumsy at holding things, and it would be a miracle if he pulled this off.

Seven seconds.

Diddy awkwardly manoeuvred one of the keys into the padlock binding his left hand to the crucifix. However, it did not fit.

Four seconds. The guard was now over halfway across the dungeon to the door.

The monkey cursed quietly and fumbled with his tail, managing to bring the second key on the ring to the padlock. Another bust.

Two seconds.

Luck appeared to be with him, as the third key fit snugly into the lock and it snapped open. As quickly and quietly as he could, Diddy pulled his hand out of the chains, being sure not to rattle them, and then took the keys in his now-free hand.

The guard came to the exit and reached to his belt for the key-ring to unlock the door. When he realised it was not there, he frowned and turned to check his other side. The Kong used the confusion to unlock his other hand. He had just freed his left foot from the chains when the Kremling turned back and saw what was happening. A look of shock appeared on his face, quickly to be replaced by anger, and his scales seemed to turn a slight shade of red.

"_Arrrrrr_, you little mongrel!" he roared, drawing his sword and rushing at the crucifix.

Diddy panicked and dropped the keys. "No!" he cried. He quickly bent down and picked them up just as the Kremling issued a loud war cry. The final lock on his right leg sprang open, releasing him from the crucifix, just as the pirate reached it and swung his sword. Diddy dived and rolled out of the way just as the blade bit deep into the wooden cross, where his neck was a moment ago, with a menacing _THUD_.

"Look, c-can't we just talk about this?" he asked, backing away, his hands held up in a placating manner.

"Sure we can, when you're dead!" the Kremling snarled, swinging his sword around again.

The simian held on to the set of keys as he barely dodged out of harm's way. However, the next swing forced him into another dive, the force of which sent the bundle tumbling away across the chamber. They came to a stop near the pit of spikes against the far wall.

Diddy cursed and scrambled away from the crazed Kremling, dashing across the dungeon. He heard clawed footsteps literally right on his tail and put on a burst of speed, acting on pure adrenaline alone. He came up to the keys quickly, bent and scooped them up, but kept on running _toward_ the spike pit.

The Kremling was so enraged that all he cared about was seeing this furry little runt's blood running through the grooves in the stone floor. However, his eyes shot wide open in shock when said runt suddenly disappeared from view, leaving only the shallow pit of spikes looming in his field of vision.

"AHHH! NOOOO!" he screamed, unable to stop himself in time.

Diddy clung to the chain dangling down from the ceiling above the pit and looked away from the terrible sight. However, he still heard the sickening thud, as well as the sounds of metal impaling flesh.

"Sorry," he said guiltily.

He leaped down from the chain and quickly made his way across the dungeon to the door. Four tries later, he found the right key on the key-ring, unlocked the door and stepped out into the silent hallway. Shadows flickered in the torchlight. Diddy timidly looked both ways, but luckily there was no one else in sight.

He gazed down at the keys in his hand and sighed. He had successfully escaped from his cell, but had no idea where Dixie or DK were being held. However, given the similarity of his cell to the one he had last seen Dixie, he was willing to bet all of his banana coins on the fact that she must be nearby.

At least, he hoped so.

* * *

Near the foot of the island, not far from the Kremlings' prison, a large factory stood at the edge of a cliff, the ocean waves crashing against the rocks below. In a darkened laboratory within the facility, Kraft licked his lips in anticipation as he wired together an electrical circuit-board, with more care than one would expect from the hulking Kremling. All around him, other pirates were at work, carting pieces of steel into a large hangar in the next room.

_Very soon, it will be complete,_ he thought in satisfaction.

"Kraft," came the deep voice of K. Rool as he entered the laboratory. "How are things coming along?"

"Very well, Kaptain," he replied, not bothering to look up from the circuit that he was working on. "The hull is nearly complete, the propellers are being attached now, and the bomb bays are functional."

"Good," the Kremling leader said, pleased. "I want the airship operational as soon as possible. Once it rules the skies, nothing will stand in my way as the Kremlings conquer all the islands. And you will be well-rewarded."

Kraft had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes. Because serving under you has always been my lifelong ambition."

However, K. Rool was busy looking out across the room, and did not notice the sarcasm in his underling's tone. "Make sure the ship has a viewing deck with a glass floor," he finally said. "I want Diddy Kong onboard, and watching with me, when DK Island gets sent to the bottom of the sea."

"Fine, but the girl is mine," the peg-legged commander shot back. His mind was alight with sadistic glee as he imagined Dixie Kong crying and begging for death before he was through with her. He had already given her a taste of things to come a couple of hours ago, but sadly had to stop for work in this miserable factory.

If only things were not so busy... If only there were not so many preparations to make...

K. Rool growled slightly at Kraft's tone. If he did not know better, he could have sworn that his second-in-command was being disrespectful, and that was something he would not tolerate. However, Kraft had proven himself as a useful and effective leader, not to mention he possessed a mind as sharp as a cutlass. He had not been appointed as the island's chief technician for nothing.

The Kremling leader decided he would let the incident slide this time.

* * *

In her prison cell, Dixie sat against the wall, her knees pulled up into her chest. Her wrists and arms were in agony, and her fur was drenched in ice-cold water, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

After Diddy had been taken away, the sadistic Kraft and his cronies had proceeded to dunk her head underwater for the better part of two or three hours or so, holding her under each time to the point where she began to panic about drowning. His laughter echoed in her ears.

The Kremlings had left a long time ago, but the basin of water was still sitting there in the middle of the dungeon, seemingly taunting her. How she hated the very sight of it.

Dixie rested her head against the stone wall behind, her mind filled with thoughts of DK and Diddy. She fervently hoped they were both alright. Although, given how much the Kremlings hated all of them, she very much doubted so.

It took her a moment to realise that there were tears streaming through her fur as well. She did not know how long she had been crying, but imagined it had started when she thought about the terrible fate that awaited not only her, Diddy and DK, but all of the other Kongs as well.

The girl turned her head toward the door at the sound of a key turning in the lock, and a cold, grim determination set in. She blinked her tears away, refusing to show any weakness to these fiends. She would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her break down.

When the door swung open, she blinked, not sure if she was seeing things.

"Dixie!" the familiar voice came, snapping her out of her shock when she realised it really was _him_ standing there.

"D-Diddy!" she cried, struggling to stand and rush toward him.

He threw his arms around her in a tight hug that took her breath away, but she relished in his hold. She thought that she would never see him again.

"Are you okay?" Diddy asked, releasing his hold and checking her over for bruises.

"Yeah, I'm f-fine," she said, her teeth chattering slightly. "A little c-cold."

"What did they do to you?" he asked anxiously.

Wordlessly, Dixie nodded to the basin of water sitting in the middle of the chamber, and her friend's face darkened.

"Those lowlife scumbags," he growled.

"It's okay," she said quickly, trying to calm him down. "No l-lasting damage. I'm fine, really." It was then that she noticed the unconscious Kremling lying in the doorway. "Are _you_ okay?"

Diddy followed her gaze and smiled. "Piece of cake. That guy had our equipment on him, as well." He gestured down at the utility belt around his waist, with the two peanut popguns and flare guns holstered in it, before pulling out a small knife he had plundered from the unconscious pirate's belt. "Here, let me untie you."

With a deft flick, Dixie felt the ropes binding her hands behind her loosen, and then slide off completely. A warm feeling of relief flooded through her. If she was going to die, then she would go down swinging, not at the mercy of the Kremlings.

She threw her arms around Diddy this time in another hug. "Thanks for coming back for me."

Whatever Diddy was about to say was interrupted by a surprised shout coming from the doorway. They turned to see five red Kremlings standing over the unconscious guard.

"Get 'em!" the nearest one yelled, and they all sprinted into action.

"This way!" Diddy cried, grabbing Dixie's hand and pulling her along with him toward the pit of spikes at the far end of the dungeon.

"Where are you going?" Dixie shouted, sparing a glance over her shoulder as she ran.

"Just trust me," her friend said.

The pair came up to the edge of the pit, and then Diddy took the lead, leaping across the pit and grabbing onto a chain that dangled down from the ceiling. Dixie followed suit, and they climbed all the way up to what appeared to be a ventilation opening at the top. They angered shouts of the pirates below them faded as they squeezed through the hole and into a narrow tunnel. It was a tight fit, and the ceiling was low, causing them to have to duck their heads slightly as they ran. A little way in, they came across another locked gate, but fortunately it was opened with one of the keys on the ring in Diddy's hands.

"Pretty stupid of them to put the keys to _all_ of the prison's doors on here," he commented.

"The Kremlings are probably too dumb to realise putting all their eggs into one basket is a bad idea," Dixie whispered back.

"Here, I think this is yours," her friend said, handing her one of the peanut popguns.

She took the gun gratefully, and shoved it into the pink sash around her left thigh. As they made their way along the tunnel, they passed several other openings near the ceilings of high rooms, through which they could hear voices shouting.

"The Kongs have escaped!"

"Sound the alarm!"

The pair of simians dared not to speak, lest they be heard and recaptured. They followed the darkened twisting maze of tunnels for some time, and eventually the cacophony and chaos settled down as the prison guards set out to search for them. The Kongs stopped momentarily to catch their breaths.

"I think this tunnel gives ventilation to the lower levels, so if we follow it, we should be able to find an opening to the outside somewhere near the top," Diddy mused. "First we have to find DK though."

"He's not here anymore," Dixie whispered. "While Kraft was dunking my head underwater, I heard him giving orders to move DK to the Core. They're getting ready to sacrifice him."

"Rats!" her friend cursed quietly. "Okay, Dix, once we get out of here, I'm going to make my way to K. Rool's keep on foot to try and free him." Although the tunnel was dim and shadowy, he could see Dixie nodding her head slowly.

"We climbed that mountain to rescue DK once before. We can do it again."

Diddy opened his mouth to argue, to make it clear that, as much as he would need her help, this would be a near-suicidal mission. However, he stopped himself when he heard the hardened determination in her voice. Dixie knew the dangers, and was willing to go with him regardless. He found himself recalling their breakup back in Vine Valley.

_ "I thought that I'd proven to you that I am a capable adventurer too," Dixie said, the hurt apparent in her emerald-green eyes. "I thought that you'd trust me by now, but you obviously don't."_

He had to start trusting her.

"...Okay," he said begrudgingly, and then reluctantly turned and continued on down the tunnel.

Dixie noticed the conflicting tone in his voice, but did not say anything else.

After travelling through the cramped tunnel for some time, Diddy heard a slight whistling echoing off the walls. "Do you hear that?" he said excitedly. "Wind!"

The pair rushed down the tunnel and saw a truly wonderful sight: light streaming in from outside. The shadows were deepening, and it looked as though the daylight was nearly at an end. However, their hopes immediately plummeted when they saw the solid iron bars across the opening.

"Damn!" Diddy cursed. "Now what do we do?"

"Let's go through one of the openings further back," Dixie suggested quietly. "We have to be at least close to the exit by now."

On her reasoning, they backtracked for a little while and came to a grill-covered opening, which came out at the bottom of a vast and tall room. Several immense stone blocks – supported by a multitude of pillars, support posts and iron struts – were situated all throughout the shaft-like room above at a multitude of different levels, with chains hanging between them. The blocks – which looked almost like a series of floating islands above them – appeared to be for supporting an audience, and, right in front of them, the Kongs could see why.

In the middle of the bottom level sat a truly terrifying device: a twelve-foot tall guillotine.

Dixie gulped as she eyed the glittering, steeply-angled blade dangling above the chopping block below. However, her hope rose when she looked toward the top of the room and saw daylight shining through a doorway high above.

"Diddy, up there!" she whispered, pointing upward toward the exit.

Things were quiet, but the Kremlings could appear at any minute. There was no time to lose. The monkeys ran across the stone floor, past the guillotine, and began climbing up a chain and out of the deep underground pit. When the chain ended, strung to the underside of a stone block above, they dropped down to another viewing platform below and clambered up a different chain.

Things went this way for a little while, and appeared to be going well, but then a startled shout gave rise to the fact that that was about to change.

"Keep moving!" Diddy shouted, bolting across another stone block for the chain on the other side, Dixie right on his heels. Chips of stone began to explode all around them as a couple of Kremlings somewhere in the room began to fire their rifles. The duo took leaped for the chain and climbed up to take cover behind an adjacent viewing platform, until the shooters stopped to reload, before climbing the rest of the way up to a block suspended in the middle of the void.

On this floor, they were fortunately out of sight of the other pirates. However a rather short and ugly Kremling in a big, high-collared brown coat was waiting for them. Perhaps his most noteworthy features, however, were the two hooks he had instead of hands.

"Avast, there ye be! I'll take yer hearts as trophies on the pointy ends of me hooks!"

He hurled his left hook at Diddy, the latter dodging to the side in a half-twist to avoid the spinning projectile. He pulled his peanut popgun from his utility belt and levelled it at the buccaneer.

"I count one hook left," he taunted.

"Don't try count what you're not expecting," the Kremling shot back.

The monkey frowned in confusion, a split-second before he felt a searing pain in his side as the boomerang-like hook swung back past him from behind, slashing into him. He cried out in pain as he fell, dark blood spilling out onto the stone surface.

The cutthroat crocodile raised the stump of his left hand, allowing the projectile to return to it with a _THUNK_, before turning to Dixie. "I count two hooks left," he sneered.

"Let's see who's quicker on the draw," she said, her voice quiet and dangerous.

The two adversaries faced each other down for a moment, before the pirate raised his arms to hurl both hooks at his enemy. However, she was faster. Quick as a rattlesnake, her hand shot down to her thigh and drew her popgun. The compressed air in the barrel launched several peanut pellets into the Kremling's face and he roared in pain, swatting at the projectiles in vain.

All too late, he realised that he was teetering on the edge of the platform and unable to regain his balance. He opened his snout in a throaty scream as he fell all the way back down the shaft, hitting the bottom with a terrible _SPLAT_.

Dixie spared him no sympathy as she rushed to Diddy's side. "Are you alright?" she asked anxiously. The gash in his side looked deep, and blood was soaking through his shirt.

"I've been better," he gasped in pain.

At that moment, they noticed the shouts that filled the air as the other Kremlings throughout the room moved around, trying to get a clear line of sight at them.

"_Arrrrrr_, where are they?"

"I don't see 'em!"

"Get the exit sealed off!"

"Diddy, I know it hurts, but we have to get out of here," his compatriot said urgently, helping him to his feet. "We'll get you patched up once we're outside. Can you still climb?"

Gritting his teeth through the pain, he nodded. With that, the Kongs desperately climbed the last few chains. The booms of several muskets and blunderbusses going off echoed throughout the chamber, but none of them hit, courtesy of the monkeys' fast climbing, cover from the viewing platforms, the shooters' lousy aim, or a combination of all three.

Two furious minutes later, they arrived at the top level, the exit door so tantalisingly close. A small green Kremling was climbing up a ladder nearby, apparently being the one dispatched to close off the exit door. With a well-aimed pellet shot, Dixie knocked him out, sending him falling back down to the level below.

The simians quickly fled through the door into the fresh air of the outside world, pausing only momentarily to pull the door shut and pile barrels in front of it, preventing the Kremlings from following them, for the time being anyway.

They immediately took the hills, leaving K. Rool's terrible dungeon behind them.

The Kongs had escaped.


End file.
